Take a Chance on me
by Zaku-118
Summary: Sequel to 'Afraid to take a chance' Jeanette is dating Simon's best friend and Simon doesn't know what to feel when someone new turns up. Has Simon fallen for someone else? Is it too late for Jeanette to make things right? Will they find happiness or will Alvin's 'help' just make things worse?
1. Chapter 1: Bad Morning

Before you begin reading i would like to point out this is a sequel to 'Afraid to take a Chance' and I'd Advise you read that before reading this. You don;t have to but the story will make more sense if you do.

Apart from that please read, review and enjoy

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><p>It was a quiet day in the Seville household. Too quiet in fact, when you consider it was a lovely summer's day, and a school holiday to boot. It was in fact the Last day of the summer holidays, a day to be cherished.<p>

Dave had gone to work early, as he usually did at this time of year, hoping to avoid the heavy traffic associated with holidays and everyone left in the house was fast asleep.

Well actually only Alvin and Theodore were truly asleep. Simon was out of bed but he wasn't yet in a state that could be classed as completely awake; In fact, he was in much the same 'zombified' state Alvin was every Monday morning.

With a loud yawn and prolonged stretch, he crossed the living room making for the kitchen and breakfast. He gave the ample pile of mail that lay by the front door only a fleeting glimpse, deciding to ignore it for the moment and concentrate on getting breakfast ready before Alvin and Theodore woke up.

Two short jumps propelled him first onto the table then onto the breakfast bar. To his surprise, he found that Breakfast already taken care of. Three toaster waffles sat on a plate, still warm from the toaster, with a hastily scrawled note sitting beside them.

"Gone to work, be back about six, Dave" Simon mumbled, fiddling with his glasses to get the writing into focus. It was far too early in the morning to be reading, even for him.

With another yawn, he pulled a waffle of the top of the pile, keeping it tucked under one arm as he descended back down to the floor. Since Dave had taken care of breakfast for them, he supposed he should sort the mail.

He took a bite from the waffle as he crossed over to the front door. Six letters lay in the unorganized pile. He noticed there were no parcels, so his order still had not arrived.

Slightly irritated, his parcel was now four days late, he tucked the waffle back under his arm allowing him to pick up the letters and quickly flip through them, making mental notes as to which letter was for whom.

The vast majority appeared to be fan mail, as usual. Alvin, Alvin, Alvin, Theodore, Theodore and a Bank statement for Dave.

Simon sighed deeply, stuffing the letters under his arm allowing him to take another bite out of his waffle.

He hardly ever got fan mail he thought gloomily as he walked back towards his bedroom; it just did not seem fair. He did as much work as the other guys, he put in just as much effort but Alvin and Theodore seemed to get all the attention whilst he seemed to be ignored. He guessed that was one of the curses of being a 'Nerd' as Alvin had put it.

As he headed back to his room Simon realised that the peace and quiet he'd so far enjoyed was about to end. Alvin was awake.

Not totally, mind you. Currently he was shuffling sleepily out of his room, yawning, even more widely than Simon had, and rubbing at his eyes "Morning Simon", he groaned through his yawn

Simon neatly tossed the three letters in his brother's direction causing Alvin's face to quickly light up with greatly exaggerated surprise and excitement "_Pour Moi_" he gasped in that atrocious French accent of his as he scooped up the three letters lying in front of him "Oh Se-mon you shouldn't have"

Simon rolled his eyes, trying his best to ignore him. He placed the other two letters by Theodore's door, who he assumed, was still sleeping peacefully "Dave's gone to work, Breakfast is in the kitchen"

Alvin shook his head, still yawning as he spoke "I don't see how anyone can work at a time like this" he flicked through the letters in his paws, trying to decide which to open first.

Finally; however, he noticed the more-than-slightly gloomy expression on his brother's face. Simon had appeared gloomy for quite a while, about a week or so, but Alvin had not really paid much attention to it, until now "Hey bro why the long face?" he glanced down at the letters in front of him and the two for Theodore, noticing that yet again Simon had none. "No mail again?"

Simon lip seemed to tighten, as if he had bitten it, whilst he shook his head. In truth the fan mail thing didn't really bother him anymore, he had gotten used to it. No it was something else entirely that was bothering him. It was a rather disturbing event; an event that had raised some very disturbing questions in his mind, questions that he couldn't answer.

It was a rare event indeed when Simon found himself unable to answer a question, at school he usually knew the answer before the teacher had even asked the questions, but these were not the sort of questions he was used to.

At the moment, he felt like he couldn't be sure about anything, except of course, that it would be a cold day in hell before he talked to Alvin about it.

Besides, how could he possibly make Alvin understand when he didn't even understand it himself?

No, there was no way he could talk to Alvin about it, in fact there was no one who could truly trust enough to talk about it. Theodore was too young, Alvin was too immature and Dave would just overreact.

There was always Scott and Jeanette, his best friend and his not so secret crush, but they had already betrayed him. How could he ever trust them again after what they'd done?

No he was on his own for this one.

Regardless of what his younger brother may have thought of him Alvin had none the less learned to read Simon pretty well, over the years. He could tell when something was bothering him, and if it was something serious, well it had to be as it took a lot to bother Simon.

As Alvin kept looking at Simon he realised that this was no ordinary depressed spell, this was something serious. Simon was not the sort to be miserable over a few letters. He had never really cared before, so what was it?

Was it possible he was still hung up about Scott and Jeanette?

"Is something the matter Si?" It surprised Simon, and at the same time made him feel worse, when he heard the genuine concern in Alvin's voice "If something's wrong you can tell me"

What could he do? Saying something like 'its personal' or 'I'd rather not talk about it' wouldn't help at all, if anything all it would do is pour fuel on the fire of Alvin's curiosity.

In the end, it turned out he did not have to say anything. A cheeky grin spread across Alvin's face as he gave his brother a friendly nudge "come on, tell me. Is she blonde or brunette?"

Simon couldn't help but smile at his brother's truly awful attempt to try to help. It seemed that Alvin's was still incapable of taking anything seriously, and he loved him for that. He was still the same old clueless yet lovable knucklehead he had always been

"You know Alvin," he said with a smirk, "If you ever give up music you might want to consider going into psychiatry. I can sense you'd be a natural at it"

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><p>Theodore had always had a tendency to sleep in, not usually as bad as Alvin mind you, but still he liked his sleep and he didn't see anything wrong with that. He hadn't let it interfere with school, he was always up on weekdays but on holidays he saw nothing wrong with having a few extra winks.<p>

It was probably around 10 before he got up. Quickly deciding that today would be a lazy day, it was looking lovely outside the window and the house was surprisingly quiet.

He guessed that must mean Alvin and Simon were keeping each other at arms length again.

OK so that wasn't really a new development, there had always been buckets of tension between his two brothers, they argued on an almost daily basis, usually about the most trivial things. Very occasionally, he would admit, they did argue about serious things, like when Simon stood on Alvin's skateboard and almost fell down the stairs.

Of course, Alvin had refused to take the blame, almost laughing the whole thing off. It was safe to say that Simon failed to find anything funny about it and Theodore could hardly blame him for that.

That feud that had gone on longer than most; in fact, as far as Theodore was aware, it was the current record holder.

Now however, Simon wasn't arguing, in fact he wasn't saying much at all.

Even though his brothers thought he was a bit slow, Theodore could guess with a fair amount of certainty that Simon's current problems were to do with Jeanette.

Almost the entire school had been shocked when they'd heard the Jeanette had turned Simon down, more surprise was to follow when she started dating Scott Williams only a few weeks later. Sure Scott and Simon had a lot in common, almost more than Simon had with his two brothers. He was a relatively popular guy who near enough everybody liked. He was kind, thoughtful and intelligent, but despite all this, no one could shake the feeling that he didn't fit with Jeanette, like two jigsaw pieces that had been forced together they just didn't seem to sit right.

Theodore for one had never been a great believer in destiny, it had always seemed a bit far-fetched to him and he'd always like to believe that people were in charge of their own lives, but he could also safely say the Simon and Jeanette were destined to be together. He just couldn't understand why they were both denying it.

It always made him feel sad when someone else was feeling upset, especially when it was one of his brothers.

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><p>Simon slumped across his bed, tapping half-heartedly at the keys on his laptop. With a loud sigh of exhaustion and boredom he rolled onto his back, gazing up at the plain ceiling above him.<p>

It was best not to think about it, that's what he kept telling himself. That's what he trying to convince himself. The problem was he couldn't stop thinking about it.

That boy in the store, why had he felt the way he did? What was so special about him?

Was there something his subconscious was trying to tell him?

Could it be he was…

No he couldn't be, he wasn't.

But how could he be sure? How could he be sure of anything?

_Don't think about it. There's nothing you can do about it so don't think about it. You'll only make things worse. No matter how much staring and soul searching you do you'll never find the answer, so just think of something else._

Why? What's the problem in thinking about it? If I'm… like that, then I shouldn't be afraid of it. There's nothing wrong with it.

_I know that and you know that, but you also know that what you and I think doesn't matter. It's what others think that's important._

That's bull; I don't care what other people think of me. I'm proud of who I am.

_Is that why you let Scott take your girl without a word?_

She's not my girl; she doesn't belong to anyone. Besides it's her choice to make, I can't force her to feel the same way that I do

_So you don't care that she's seeing your best friend?_

Of course I care, but she said no. I have to respect that

_Ha, and you claim to love her. You're pathetic _

Shut up. Scott is my friend, Jeanette is my friend So long as their happy that's all that matters

He swallowed hard. That's all that matters.

But was it?

He let out another sigh slid off the bed, crossing his, as always, impeccably tidy room to his desk. It was only a cheap desk, made of veneered MDF, but it was still his desk. The place where all his ideas were written down, where all his work was done the place he spent most of his time.

The desk itself was cover in neatly organised piles of paper, a few books and a single unfinished model, but none of this held his attention. He only had eyes for one thing. A single framed photograph, sitting pride of place above all the papers and books.

He reached out a paw and gently lifted it off desk, careful to keep his fingers from smudging the glass.

Even feeling the way he was, he couldn't help but smile at the picture.

It was a photo of them just after their first joint concert with the Chipettes. That had been a great day, in one evening he had regained his faith in his brother (if only partially), He'd made three new friends and they'd saved the music department.

They were all there, Theodore and Eleanor were hugging and Brittany was sporting a very impressive set of Bunny ears kindly donated by Alvin, whilst Simon himself had one arm around Jeanette. Everyone was smiling, Everyone was happy.

What had happened to that magic?

She had seemed so happy with him. He had been so sure that they had been meant to be together. They had seemed like a perfect couple, they had so much in common. Eleanor and Theodore were together, even if not officially yet, and Brittany and Alvin were dating but he and Jeanette were 'just friends'.

Those Three words 'just be friends' he had never imagined that words could hurt that much. They'd pierced him like an ice pick right to the heart.

Why had she said? Why? What was it that Scott had that he didn't? Even after all this time, he was still unable to come up with an answer.

Things had been so perfect between them. From the moment he'd met her he'd known she was 'the one', he'd known he'd wanted to be more than friends with her. Maybe his reaction to the guy in the store was just a way of forcing himself to admit that Jeanette was gone. They were just friends, he had to accept that, even if he didn't like it.

He slid the photo back into it's place on the desk, face down.

She was with someone else now. His best friend. He had to move on, no matter how painful it was.

He had to.

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><p>Theodore fiddled with the warm, and rather slippery taps until the gentle flow of warm water stopped. Grabbing the towel that he'd strategically placed near the shower he stepped out, rubbing his fur a vigorously as he could with the dry towel.<p>

It may have been the holidays, a time for relaxing but Theodore couldn't help but think about tomorrow, After all tomorrow was the big day, back to school day.

Normally he wasn't too happy at the prospect of going 'back to school', seriously who did? Nevertheless, back to school time meant that he would get to see Eleanor again. He had hardly seen her at all during the summer holidays and he missed her, he missed her so much.

Carefully wrapping the towel around his middle, he walked over to the bathroom mirror. He wanted to make sure he looked his best for Eleanor. She had said that he always looked fine, but it never hurt to put a little extra effort in for the girl you loved.

Yes, he admitted it he loved her, it was no secret. He was in love, and tomorrow would be the day he told her, of that you could be sure.

With one paw holding the towel in place, he skilfully used the other to rearrange his hair. He ran his paw through his hair making it stick up in rough spikes, then flattened it all down, then he tried slicking it all back, pausing for a few seconds after each styling before deciding that it didn't really suit him. Eventually, and somewhat predictably, he decided to leave his hair the way it had been.

He opened his mouth as wide as he could and probed at each of his white teeth in turn with his tongue. He could still taste the strong mint toothpaste from earlier and the disgusting mouthwash he'd used and vowed never to touch again. He wondered why it was that nobody had ever made a toothpaste that wasn't mint flavoured, just who had decided that all toothpastes must be minty? What was so special about mint?

Deciding as usual not to dwell on it, he closed his mouth and smiled at his reflection. He was feeling confident, which was not something he got to say a lot.

He found his eyes wandering around the bathroom before focusing on the array of bottle arranged on the bathroom shelf. The bottles where clustered into little groups according to owner; there was his, Simon's, Dave's and, by far the largest, Alvin's.

Suddenly curious to see just why Alvin needed so many bottles Theodore plucked one at random from the Alvin group, and almost collapsed with laughter as he read the label.

It was a medium sized green glass bottle with 'Brut' written on it in big letters.

That was Alvin for you.

Suddenly feeling curious, Theodore unscrewed the lid and walked back over to the mirror.

What the hell, he thought, what was the worst that could happen?

He tipped the bottle up, splashing a small amount onto his right paw and began rubbing it on his cheeks. If it worked for Alvin the it should have some effect on Eleanor shouldn't it?

As he continued to beautify himself for tomorrow he noticed something in the mirror that made him stop. Very quickly his smile faded and icy fear began to work it's way up his back.

Was that a spot?

Putting down the bottle, he began desperately parting his fur in the suspected area. This couldn't be happening, not now, not today, Could Chipmunks even get Acne?

Before he could investigate, further there was a knocking at the door "Are you going to be much longer?" It was Alvin sounding rather impatient, as most people wanting the bathroom do "There's a queue forming out here"

Quickly deciding that his possible spot could wait, Theo rapidly fixed the lid back on the brut and shoved it back onto Alvin's shelf. He only jus made it out the door in time. Alvin rolled his eyes as he moved past Theodore but didn't say anything.

All the way back to his room, Theodore found himself rubbing his cheek where his suspected spot was. It just had to be today didn't it!

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><p>Considering it was the last day of summer, the last day before school started up again, the day seemed to crawl by with almost agonisingly slow speed.<p>

Simon was lying on his bed again, once more looking up at the ceiling. He wondered just what it was about his ceiling that had captivated him so. What was it that had made him stare at it almost all day?

He knew the answer already, it was a rhetorical question really.

The simple truth was he felt hollow, incomplete, as if a part of him was missing and he didn't know why. He didn't know why he was feeling this way.

Was it Jeanette? Was he still upset for her saying no all those weeks ago or was it the stranger from the shop? The boy that had made him feel so… good.

Was it really possible that he could be pining over someone he didn't even know? If so then why had it been a guy?

No matter how many times he asked himself those questions he could not seem to get an answer, and that annoyed him.

When it had been Jeanette, it had been so simple. He was a boy, she was a girl and they both seemed to like each other. Then she had rejected him and everything had fallen apart. He had hoped this was just part of dating, she was playing hard to get or something. That theory had been instantly dismissed, Jeanette just wasn't like that. Then again, it was becoming obvious that he didn't really know as much about her as he had thought.

He'd finally got his answer when she started going out with Scott. That had also been the final betrayal. She had rejected him after all they had been through and now she was going out with his best friend.

The simple truth was that nothing was simple anymore.

The door to his room slowly crept open, so slowly and softly that, lost in thought as he was, he did not notice.

"Simon" a timid voice sounding incredibly loud in the quiet room asked.

He managed to peel his eyes from the ceiling, to see his little brother standing in the doorway. "Oh, hello Theo. Something I can do for you?"

Theodore, shuffling slowly into the room, his eyes noticing the photo lying face down on the desk and knowing full well why "Actually" Theo responded, one tow tracing circles on Simon's floor "I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you?" Those big innocent eye's looked up at Simon in a silent plea "You don't seem to be yourself nowadays"

He had known Simon all his life and yet he had never seen him act this way before. He seemed, upset and if there was one thing Theodore could not stand it was when people were upset, especially his brothers.

Yet feeling you should help and knowing what to do where two very different things. In the past, the roles had always been reversed, with Theodore being the one who was upset and Simon successfully cheering him up. He figured that after all these years It was the least he could do to try and return the favour.

Simon managed to force a smile, which he hoped looked convincing as he lay back onto the bed "It's nothing, Theo honestly. I've just had a few things to think about" he reached out a paw and patted Theodore's shoulder "But thanks anyway"

"Is it Jeanette?" Theodore asked. Instantly he felt sorry, why had he asked that? He was pushing now. Besides you don't mention fire to someone who's recently been burned

Simon seemed to shuffle on the bed slightly, his smile vanishing in an instant "Kind of" It wasn't a lie, it was just a bit of exaggeration "To be honest Theo, I think I'm just tired" He hoped that would be enough

Theodore gave his brother an accepting nod, Simon had always known what was best and he'd given Theo no reason to doubt him now. If Simon said he was alright then that was good enough for him

"Where the hell did he come from?" Alvin's roar echoed all the way from the front room. Evidently thing's were not going well in his new game. Theo could not help but let out a short giggle and Simons forced smile quickly became genuine "It's nice to know I can talk to at least one of my brothers" suddenly Simon's face became serious and his nose began twitching.

Theodore looked up to him, slightly perturbed "What is it?"

Simon glanced back at his brother, looking slightly surprised "Theo, are… Are you wearing cologne?"


	2. Chapter 2: First Day Back

**Well this took a lot longer than expected, I'm afriad to say I'd pushed this story to the sidelines a bit so I could focus on 'The Chipmunk few', then came Uni and exams. It's been quite hectic for me. anyway I've got a lot more free time now so I'll try and finish Chapter 3 ASAP. In the meantime, here's chapter 2. ****Read, Review and enjoy.**

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><p>Today was a black day, one of the darkest of all days. It was a day of fear and torment for millions across the globe. A day that was almost universally hated by everyone involved with it.<p>

It was back to school day, the day were millions of children were forced to give up their freedom for another term.

Of course there were some kids who weren't actually loathing today. Some would doubtless be glad to see all their friends again after the holidays and catch up on what they'd all been up to, a few might even actually enjoy school and some would just see it as something that had to be done so there was nothing to do but grin and bear it.  
>Scott Williams wasn't sure which category he fitted into, but then again that had been the story of his life. He was an enigma, an anomaly, a child at school that didn't fit in with any of the groups.<p>

He wasn't sporty enough to be a jock, he wasn't geeky enough to be a nerd and he certainly wasn't an emo or a metal-head. He was just Scott, the guy who comfortably passed his tests and spent most of his free time watching sci-fi. He just seemed to be one of those guys that just blend into the background wherever they went. There really wasn't much more to him than that. At least that's what he'd thought last year.

Who would have thought that 'Spock' Williams would ever have a girlfriend. He could hardly believe it himself. Barely anyone ever hung out with him or even talked to him, and now he was dating.

When Jeanette had first asked him out he had assumed that she had been put up to it as a joke. He'd expected some guys to be hoping for a few cheap laughs at his expense, but he knew Jeanette and he knew she wasn't like that. He could think of more than a few girls that might do that, but never Jeanette, not the only girl that he ever communicated with. He might not have known why she had chosen to go out with him, but he knew that she was not the sort of person to go around hurting people.

As he continued his way down the street towards the Miller's house, he ran a cold nervous paw through his unkempt brown hair whilst re-shouldering his bag in the same movement. He had not expected to feel this nervous today; after all today would be his first day at school with his new girlfriend. He'd expected that he'd feel excited, but he didn't, and he couldn't explain why.

Reaching the end of the street, he glanced cautiously across the road towards the Seville's house. Was that the reason behind his shattered nerves? Was he simply worried about seeing Simon again? Worried about how his best friend might treat him after what had happened between them? After all he knew just how much Jeanette had meant to Simon, He'd known how much he cared for her. It was actually fair to say that no one at West-Eastman had been more surprised than Scott when Jeanette had asked him out. He had always expected her to go out with Simon.

Simon was his best friend, one of his only real friends, and although Scott knew that he hadn't done anything wrong he couldn't help but feel like he'd somehow betrayed him.

Scott had been the ninth chipmunk to enrol at West-Eastman high school, and from his first day onwards both Simon and Jeanette had been his closest friends. He had seen how close they were, how well they got along.

He guessed that his obvious similarity with Simon had to have something to do with it. Appearance wise at least there was a striking resemblance between the two chipmunks. In fact the best way to describe Scott would be some sort of Alvin/Simon hybrid. He was taller than Alvin, yet shorter than Simon. He wore glasses even though he didn't need them most of the time. His glasses, unlike Simon's, were rectangular; In fact they were very similar to the ones that Ian had given to Simon back when they'd first started out as rock stars. He remembered Simon bringing that up when they'd first met and laughing it off over lunch. His hair was short and spiked up like Alvin's, but not to the extent that he looked like a punk. In truth there really wasn't anything about him that made him stand out, and that was just the way he liked it.

He reached out a paw and gave the Millers front door a few hefty knocks, before taking a short step back, ruffling a paw through his hair again.

Why was he this nervous? Was everyone this nervous about going to school, or was it just him?

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><p>The Three Seville brothers made their way as slowly as they could down the street towards the school, their lack of speed a deliberate attempt to postpone the inevitable awkwardness that came with school. For Simon it was obvious, today would be the first time he'd see his best friend after… well he'd already gone over it enough. He was dreading that moment. Should he really expect everything to just carry on like normal, should he bring it up or would that just make him sound like a whiney jerk?<p>

Alvin meanwhile had problems of his own. A whole holiday without calling his girlfriend once; oh yeah he was sooo getting it in the neck this time. Brittany would be taking no excuses and no prisoners today. Still he wasn't bothered; He was Alvin Seville, no girl could possibly stay mad at him and his unbeatable good looks. He was irresistible (at least so he thought).

Theodore meanwhile got the feeling like today was going to be one hell of an emotional rollercoaster, and Theodore didn't like rollercoaster's at all. Without even thinking he found his paw move up to his cheek and rub at the spot where his suspected… well… spot was. He should have done something about it. He was positive that Alvin had a tube of spot cream in that massive stockpile of cosmetic paraphernalia. Would that have worked quickly enough, maybe he should have just burst it, or moved his fur a bit more to cover it up, or maybe, maybe… Oh he just wasn't good with decisions.

He willed himself just to ignore it. Eleanor was hardly going to hate him just because he'd got a spot, especially since it was partially hidden under his fur. Yet at the same time if he was going to ask her out today then he wanted everything to be perfect.

As they continued down the street, Simon walking a good distance in front of his two brothers, Alvin fidgeted with his cap and Theodore kept rubbing at his cheek.

Theodore's mind began to wander away from his spot problems as he watched Simon shuffling along in front of them, he them twisted his head slightly to look at Alvin who was still trying to get his cap to sit just right. Was it possible that Alvin might have some inkling as to what was bothering Simon? Certainly Theodore had had little success in that area, and had decided that he was not really suited to being a therapist. Still if Simon was in trouble than Theodore wanted to help in any way he could and right now Alvin was his best bet for information.

He knew that in the past Alvin had had a habit of….complicating things, especially when it came to Simon, but he decided to throw his usual caution to the wind and confront Alvin about their brother. "Alvin" Theodore spoke rather quietly, not really wanting to be overheard, "Have you noticed anything different about Simon?"

Alvin was not really paying attention; he'd finished straightening his cap and now stuffed both his paws into the pocket of his hoodie. "Well he's still a super buzz kill if that's what you mean" he said as he kicked a small stone along the path ahead of him.

Theodore shook his head, eye's narrowed in mild anger "No, that's not what I meant" he said. "He seems really down lately" he looked down at his paws as he twiddled them nervously. "I thought, maybe, he might have said something to you"

Alvin almost laughed. "You really think if Simon had a BIG secret he'd tell me. I think Satan will be skating to work before that happens." He said, chuckling at his own joke.

Theodore turned away "I just thought…."

Alvin instantly felt sorry. He had not wanted to upset Theo. It was simply his nature not to take anything seriously.

"Have you actually spoken to him yet?" he asked, stuffing his paws deeper into his pockets.

Theo nodded sadly "He didn't really say anything" he said looking down at his feet. "He said he was just tired but I get the feeling there's more too it than that."

Alvin simply shrugged "Well he's more likely to talk to you than me." He kicked again at the small stone that had been sitting on the path. "Besides its Simon we're talking about, he's not exactly a fun guy at the best of times." He threw his paws out of his pocket and pointed towards himself "That's my turf Theo, I'm the fun one here"

Theodore rolled his eyes and kept walking.

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><p>The corridors of West Eastman high school were bustling with students trying to make the best out of a bad situation. School was back, but they could still meet up with their friends. Small groups were gathered round lockers or were already walking to class. All in all it was a fairly standard scene that every kid would expect to see on the first day back.<p>

And yet, it was a very different place compared with when the Chipmunks had first arrived. The physical building itself hadn't changed at all; it was the pupils that were different. Put simply, the Chipettes had not been the only chipmunks that had moved to LA after hearing the story of Alvin and the Chipmunks. With the massive publicity of the music competition, West-Eastman had been flooded with new Chipmunk students. Now there were over fifty Chipmunk students at the school from all over the country. In a matter of months West-Eastman had become the premier Chipmunk school in the world, whilst Dr Rubin had the dubious honour of being the principle that had opened up the education system to the animal kingdom.

For the Seville brothers the corridors of West-Eastman were no longer the chaotic and frightening place that they had been. They had gotten used to them by now, yet Simon could already sense that today was going to be a stressful day. Theodore meanwhile was still working out what he was going to say. 'Let's catch a movie'? No that wasn't right, maybe he should ask her to dinner. Was the first day back even the right time to ask someone out? But if he didn't do it today then he'd just keep on putting it off until it was too late.

He should have asked Alvin for advice; well there was no time for that now, he'd just have to ask her out now and hope that he didn't mess it up somehow.

Eventually they reached their lockers, which had conveniently been placed right next to each other. As he pulled open his locker and dumped his bag on the ground, Alvin looked over to Simon who was doing the exact same thing. "So tell me Si, is the rest of the day going to be as awkward as this morning?"

Before Alvin could say anything more or Simon could give him a dark look, a pair of surprisingly strong arms embraced him from behind. "Miss me?" a familiar voice said in his ear.

Still trying to stare down Simon into an explanation Alvin just shrugged, "I guess."

Irritated by her boyfriend's lack of enthusiasm about seeing her again, Brittany released him. "You Guess?" she snapped incredulously. "Six weeks without a phone call and all I get is 'I GUESS'" she was almost exploding at this point.

Alvin was only saved by Theodore quickly stepping in to his brother's defence. "He means to say he missed you" he gave Alvin a friendly smirk "He's just too macho to admit it."

Eleanor, who had been walking with her sister, joined the group and gave Theodore a warm smile. "Well I missed you Theo" Theo had already forgotten all about his spot problems, returned the smile. "We really should do something over the summer, it seems like we only ever see each other at School these days."

Theodore could feel his heart racing. This could be it; this was his perfect opportunity to finally ask Eleanor out. It seemed as if Eleanor had been thinking the same thing because she began looking at him with an expression that could only be anticipation. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was just too slow.

Alvin let out a loud groan that interrupted Theodore before he could even begin, "Can people please stop reminding me that I'm in school? I'm trying to pretend I'm somewhere else." A quick glance at Brittany and he hastily added "Somewhere with you of course" he chuckled nervously, but Brittany was unconvinced. He was going to have to work soo hard to win her back after today, and it was still early.

A deathly silence seemed to fall on the group as Scott and Jeanette walked up. Brittany noticed that they weren't holding hands or doing any of the cliché boyfriend/girlfriend things, maybe that was a sign.

"Hey guy's" Theodore said with a wave, that Eleanor mirrored.

Jeanette smiled and returned their wave "Hi"; Scott just nodded to acknowledge them. He was already starting to feel a bit awkward.

Simon finished pulling some books from his locker. "Hi Jeanette" he said weakly. "Hey Scott" he added, equally weakly as he closed his locker door.

Jeanette smiled back warmly, and Scott saw it. She'd never smiled that warmly to him.

Scott returned Simon's greeting with a simple "Hey". Awkward Silence descended again.

This was stupid he thought, Simon was his best friend and here they were acting like complete strangers. He had to do something, something to show that there was no bad blood between them. "You up for chess later?" he asked, trying to stay nonchalant. Despite everything that had happened between them, he wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted to know they were still friends.

Simon nodded "Sure."

Scott smiled broadly. "Great, I'll see you later then" he waved a quick goodbye and headed off to his first class. Maybe things might just work out after all.

* * *

><p>The Lunchtime break arrived at record speed, which came as a blessing for nearly everyone at West-Eastman. The school day was half over and it was almost like it hadn't even started. Whilst Theodore and the Chipettes hung out and Alvin caught up with his jock friends, the school found itself once more witness to another epic clash of titans.<p>

Scott lifted his rook and casually knocked Simon's bishop off the board. Almost half-heartedly Simon took the rook in question with his queen, provoking a shocked sharp intake of breath from Scott as he moved his pawn to take Simon's queen.

He was genuinely concerned that Simon had made such a foolish move in the game he loved so much. Normally they were all tied at this stage, but so far Scott was two games ahead and both had been easy victories. "What's the matter?" he asked, genuinely concerned for his friend but the truth was he already knew. He had also known that this moment would come sooner or later and, truth be told, he just wanted to get it out of the way so they could resume their friendship.

Simon just shrugged but continued to lean on his paw. "I don't know, I guess I'm just getting used to you taking my queen's." his voice was tinged with bitterness that Scott had never heard him use before.

Scott's face fell, in a genuine 'oh' moment as his fears and suspicions were confirmed. He fiddled with the chess piece in his hand as if it would make things easier. "In my defence Simon, I didn't take her" he looked up "she chose me. Why she did it is anyone's guess, but isn't it her choice to make?"

Simon was still feeling angry though. "You knew I liked her though, more than liked her. You were the one person I trusted more than anyone else, my best friend."

"Look Simon. You asked her out she said no and then she asked me." He spread his paws wide "And it may have escaped your notice but I'm not exactly a chick magnet." A smile threatened to appear on Simon's face as Scott continued, "There are lots of things a woman wants in a guy, but a Space 1999 box set is not one of them." His face turned serious again "In my position, Simon, what would you have done?"

Simon placed a paw onto his King, slowly easing the piece onto its side as he conceded the game, "I guess we'll never know." He reached for his bag, but after seeing the downcast look on Scott's face he paused. He had not meant to be so angry, after all Scott was right; none of this was his fault, or anyone's fault for that matter. Scott was still his best friend and he was acting like a total jerk towards him.

"I'm sorry Scott. This is quite a big thing for me to deal with." He shouldered his bag, still trying to avoid eye contact, "I just need a bit of space, some time to think."

Scott nodded "I understand it's just…" he gave a short laugh and shook his head, "This is going to sound really corny but," he looked back up at Simon, "Our friendship means a lot to me. I just don't want to see something stupid like this to come between us."

Simon nodded, "Yeah." He grinned "You're right that is really corny." he swung his bag over his shoulder, offering his friend a smile. "Thanks for the games, I'll see you later."

Scott lent back on the bench, that hadn't been half as bad as he had thought it would be.

* * *

><p>The first day back had raced by much more quickly than anyone had expected, not that Simon was particularly upset by this development. All day all he had wanted to do was go home. Seeing Scott again had been just as awkward as he'd imagined, and he couldn't see things returning to normal any time soon. Still at least they were talking. He was certainly glad that both he and Scott were extremely mature for their ages; Ok so maybe Scott wasn't that 'mature' when compared to Simon, but he was still a damn sight more mature than most people Simon knew, particularly brothers whose names happened to begin with A. He had hoped that maybe he could speak to Jeanette today, maybe try and clear the air between them as well, but he'd hardly seen her all day, just a case of bad time-tabling he guessed. It didn't really matter he could always talk to her tomorrow.<p>

As for the school work, well it hadn't taken long before all the teachers had realised that no one was paying any attention to what they were saying and that there was, as a result, little point trying to teach anything that day. So the students had spent almost the entire day doing what Scott had always referred to as 'filler work', i.e. worksheets and quizzes that wouldn't have challenged a nursery kid.

Finally arriving at his last classroom, Simon pushed open the door and walked in. He was early as usual, but he was still hoping that the class would go by quickly. He had usually enjoyed history, but today he just wasn't in the mood. He was anxious to get home and spend some time on his own.

If he had had any illusions that the final class of the day would be stress free and quick then they were cruelly shattered the second he reached his desk.

Sitting at the desk beside his was a new kid. A small Chipmunk with light brown fur and pale blue eyes, that Simon had never seen around the school before. He wore a plain grey t-shirt under a dark brown zip-up hoodie that made his light brown fur stand out all the more. There was also a beaded surfer necklace around his neck.

There was no mistaking it, not even for a second. It was him; the boy from the DVD store.

The boy who'd plagued his dreams ever since, and now he was sitting right beside him.


	3. Chapter 3: Cracks

Well turns out my chapters are like buses, wait ages for one and then two come along at the same time. As you've probably noticed though this is only a short chapter, but a fairly important one, and 'The Chipmunk Few' just got 3000 hits and i felt like celebrating.  
>Here it is Chapter 3<p>

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><p>As Simon tried to shake off his feeling of surprise, no shock was better, The young Chipmunks offered him a nervous but friendly smile, whilst barely able to make eye contact. "Are you Simon Seville?" he asked in a soft voice, almost as if he was afraid that Simon might take offence to the question.<p>

Feeling as awkward as this boy seemed to be, Simon found it difficult to speak and could only manage a nod.

He could swear the boy was blushing under his fur; he could certainly pick up something unusual in his scent, as all chipmunks could. "I'm Luke, Luke Dylan. I guess I'm your new history partner."

Simon nodded, finally managing to speak. "Hi" he raised a paw, which Luke gave an anxious glance then shook it slowly. Unable to stand it any longer Simon found himself blurting out, "Have we met before?"

Luke finally looked Simon in the face, that gentle smile still there as if he was incapable of any other facial expression. "Well you do look kind of familiar but that could probably be because you're a world famous rock star," he laughed. It was a laugh that was as soft and gentle as goose down. A laugh that Simon couldn't help but smile at, in fact it was the sort of laugh that anyone could smile at. Jeez you're really digging yourself into a hole with this one aren't you Simon, he thought to himself. He couldn't help it though; there was just something about Luke that made him… well, different from any other guy that Simon had met. That feeling in his gut that he'd got at the DVD store was back and he still didn't know what it was.

"Hey-ya Si." Alvin's voice cut through everything and seemed to snap both of them out of their private little world and back to reality. Alvin dumped his bag by his desk, just a few rows behind Simon, before swaggering up to join his brother. He then gave Luke a short glance before waving hi. "Hey, I'm Alvin," he smirked in his usual cocky way "As you probably already know."

Luke nodded and fiddled with the pencil in his hand, "Yeah, I've heard about you. You're kind of a hard person to miss."

Alvin smirked "Yeah being a super-awesome rock star does that." He lent up against the desk, "I take it since I haven't seen you around before that you're the new guy I've been hearing about."

Luke nodded again, this time looking up at Alvin though avoiding his eyes. He seemed to be pondering whether being the new guy was good or not. "Yeah, I'm Luke."

Alvin's mouth twitched in barely concealed humour, "Well then my young Padawan, if you wanted to find your way around school you picked the best two munks to show you." He gave his brother a hearty pat on the back that caused Simon to jump forward a bit. "Ain't that right Si?"

The steady arrival of the other class members had continued whilst they were talking, but it was the eventual appearance of the history teacher Professor Cutter that put an end to their conversation, before Simon could even bite back a sarcastic retort at his brother.

"Alright," Professor Cutter spoke over the, now hushed, classroom chitchat in a voice that showed he was just as tired and eager to get home as the rest of them, "Breaks over now, so take your seats and we can get started."

Alvin shot Simon a quick grin, "See you later then Bro." he said as he made his way back to his own desk.

As Alvin headed back to his seat, Simon finally got to sit down, turning apologetically to Luke as he did so. "Sorry about that, Alvin's…" he paused to consider the best way to put it without insulting his brother, "quite a character."

Luke opened his history text book, and gave Simon a reassuring smile "Don't worry about it. I think he's funny."

Simon opened his book, "Funny as in ha-ha or funny as in weird," he looked back up, "Cause with Alvin you can use either one."

Luke laughed again, that maddeningly perfect laugh. "When you put it like that then, I guess a bit of both."

From his desk a few rows back Alvin watched as Simon and Luke continued talking in lowered voices, a touch of worry threatening to make an appearance on his face. He had already heard a few kids talking about the new kid before this class. It had to be a new record, his first day here and there were already rumours going round about him. Whether those rumours were true or not, he couldn't say right now, but there was definitely something different about this kid. If the rumours were true, then Simon might be getting himself into a difficult situation. It was just lucky for him that he had his big brother Alvin to look after him.

* * *

><p>The school day was over, classes had finished and now Scott and Jeanette were making their way back down the street they had walked that morning, heading back to the Miller's house. They had survived the first day back at school without any major incidents. Scott's worst fears, that his friendship with Simon was ruined somehow, had been laid to rest. Their friendship was safe for now, but since this morning he had found something new nagging at the back of his mind. It was a new fear, most likely completely unfounded and probably just a result of his paranoid nature of late, yet he found himself unable to shake it all the same.<p>

The awkward silence that had separated him and Jeanette all day had finally grown too much. He had hoped today could just be a normal day for him to sort things out with Simon, but he couldn't stay quiet any longer. He needed to know. "Jeanette, if something's that matter you can tell me?"

She didn't turn back to face him. "What do you mean?" she tried to keep her voice normal, as if she didn't know what he was talking about, although she could take an educated guess what it was. It was most likely the question that Brittany and Eleanor had already asked her several times, the one she'd asked herself several times, the question that she had hoped to avoid answering.

Scott had never been the confronting type; in fact he had spent most of his life specifically trying to avoid conflict. Even now he couldn't bring himself to come out and tell her what was bothering him. Instead he found himself stuffing his paws in his pockets and dancing around the topic like he usually did. "I don't know; you just seemed kind of reclusive. I just want to help" He didn't want to bring up Simon now; that would just make him sound like a jealous jerk. Yet at the same time he had to know. If she was unhappy in this relationship then was it really worth continuing it?

Jeanette smiled weakly at him, hoping that that would reassure him. "I'm fine really" she lied.

He looked hard into her eyes, as if hoping to see in there the answers that he was looking for. "Is it Simon?" He continued to look into her eyes, waiting patiently for a reply, praying for one. All he wanted right now was for her to tell him 'No Simon and I are just friends, I love you'. He wanted her to tell him that he was the only one for her and that nothing and no one would ever come between them. It was a selfish wishful thinking at its worst but in those few seconds he would have given anything to hear her say that.

"Do you love him?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer, but he knew he had to ask all the same.

Jeanette said nothing, but turned her head away from his gaze. They were outside the Millers house now standing by the front door. She jerked a finger towards the door "I should probably go. I'll see you tomorrow."

For as long as she could remember Jeanette had never felt so wretched as she felt right now as she stumbled through the door and left Scott standing outside by himself.

For Scott it felt like he had just been kicked in the stomach. For better or for worse he had just got his answer.

* * *

><p>Next chapter things really start to kick off, I'm on holiday from Uni right now so i should be able to get the next chapter up soon; maybe next month.<p>

Reviews are always appreciated (and have been known to make me work faster ;) )


	4. Chapter 4: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Alas it seems no matter how hard I try I still take a lot longer to write than most people, but in my defence this is an important chapter that I really wanted to get right. So I hope you enjoy Chapter 4 and please leave a review :)

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><p>Scott Williams was up almost the entire night, not a wise move on a school night but he wasn't a little kid anymore so he reckoned he could stay up as late as he wanted. He had played the events of that evening over and over in his mind without coming to any satisfactory conclusion. He had hoped that maybe Jeanette had just been too tired after the first day back, she was just eager to get home and get some rest. He'd acted like a jerk, bringing up her ex that soon in a relationship. She hadn't even dated Simon and yet he still thought of him as her ex, that's how close they were. How could he ever hope to compete with that?<p>

He continued to scroll through web page after webpage, not really reading them or even paying attention to what he was typing. It was just one of those things that he'd started doing instinctively to help him think, and boy did he have a lot to think about tonight.

Without even realising that he was doing it, he found himself typing into Google again, 'What can I do to get a girl to like me'. Wow, there were millions of hits for that, most he could confess to having read already. Idly he clicked on one at random, some anonymous guy asking what he could do to get a girl to like him. The responses were so unhelpful and clichéd they almost made Scott feel sick. 'Best advice anyone can give, just be yourself bro' seemed to be the gist of what they were saying. He could argue against that of course, if you needed help then obviously being yourself just wasn't working.

He turned away from the screen towards his towers of DVD's, box-sets of Quantum Leap, Star Trek and Doctor Who laughing at him across the room, before his vision fell back to the desk, or rather the picture sitting on it. It was a picture of him and Simon on a field trip to the Science museum, posing in front of a life-size model of Robby the Robot, as if he was planning on coming to life and chasing them any second.

It was a good memory, one he'd always cherished; his first day out with his best friend in the entire world. How could he possibly compete with someone he respected and idolised so much?

But if Jeanette really loved Simon then why had she asked him out in the first place? Was he just the victim of a cruel joke or was there something else that he didn't know about?

There seemed to be so many questions nowadays, questions that it seemed nobody could answer. He wished that he could go back in time and politely turn down Jeanette's offer. Sure he might lose out on his only chance of finding love, but nothing could possibly feel worse than what he was feeling at the moment.

What was he supposed to do? How could he make everything work out?

He read the line again, 'Just be yourself.', 'Be yourself'. His eyes fell back down to the photo.

But what if you just aren't good enough?

* * *

><p>The second day is never as bad as the first, that's what they say at least, what the chipmunks had always been told, but the sad truth was that never been quite that simple. After all it really depended on what the first day had been like. For Jeanette the second day back looked like it was going to be infinitely worse than the first if that was even possible.<p>

She had woken early that morning, not that she had really got much sleep to begin with. Every time she had closed her eyes she'd relieved those terrible last few moments when she'd turned her back on Scott; Every time she was left wondering what she could have done differently, wondering if she'd done the right thing. Of course she'd known that it hadn't been the right thing, this whole situation had been messed up, and it was all her fault.

She skipped on breakfast that morning, deciding that it was best to try and avoid a grilling from her sisters, besides she wasn't feeling that hungry anyway. Right now she needed to focus all her time and energy on more pressing matters, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't understand it.

She liked Scott, she really did, they were great friends and got along really well, they had a lot in common, shared many of the same interests (Except for his sci-fi obsession), theoretically at least they should have been a perfect couple, but there was just something that didn't work. There just seemed to be no spark, no passion, nothing that could push their relationship beyond friendship. Perhaps if they remained in their 'relationship' long enough then something like that might grow over time, but was she really prepared to take that chance.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that someone else had entered her room, until a bowl of cereal was placed in front of her. Slightly startled she looked up to see Eleanor's kindly face beside her, "It's a bit soggy now but I thought you'd like some breakfast."

Jeanette nodded. She really couldn't have asked for a better pair of sisters. No matter how bad she may have felt she could always rely on them to be there for her.

"Is anything the matter?" Eleanor asked, well aware that her sister had been more quiet and reclusive than usual since she'd got back from school yesterday evening. Jeanette picked up the bowl of mushy cereal, not sure what to do with it, or what to say to her sister. She couldn't think of anyone that she could trust more than Eleanor, but even telling her would still feel like she was betraying Scott. This was something that they needed to sort out between themselves, no matter how much she might have wanted it she couldn't ask for help. "No, nothings the matter," she lied, "I just need to speak to Scott that's all."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Scott to make his way to the Millers house; after all it was becoming a route that he was getting quite familiar with. Just like yesterday he found himself running a free paw through his hair, as if expecting that to calm his frayed nerves at all. Needless to say it didn't.<p>

Yesterday he supposed he had no real reason to be nervous, today was different though. What if he turned up and Jeanette didn't want to see him? He wondered if he should keep a lower profile for a few days, after all if Jeanette was having second thoughts about their relationship then maybe he should just back off and give her some space. That was what girls always said in those films wasn't it, 'I need more space.'

Oh course the alternative was that he was getting himself all worked up over nothing. It had been known to happen in the past and he suspected that it would happen again in the future.

As he finally reached the Millers house, after what had felt like an eternity, it seemed like all his fears may have been unfounded after all. Jeanette was just leaving, almost as if she'd been expecting his arrival to the second. He could barely hide his pleasant surprise as she turned away from the closed door and, seeing him ready to walk her to school, her face cracked into a warm smile.

That was a good sign, had to be, perhaps she had just had a bad day yesterday and that was why she had been so unusual. He returned the smile, trying not to end up beaming at her like an idiot, an endeavour that he ultimately failed in.

"Hi Scott," her voice alone seemed much more lively than it had last night, as if this was in fact an entirely different person he was talking to, "looking forward to school?"

He finally managed to pull his smile back to a reasonable grin as he watched her close the front gate behind her "Does anyone?"

She laughed a little, "I suppose." The conversation died right there and then as awkward silence once again descended between them. Scott willed himself to come up with something to say, anything; Ok maybe not anything he should try and avoid last night.

"I'm sorry about last night." Jeanette's smile had disappeared as she spoke. Damn, well he supposed since it was already brought up then there would be no problem discussing it now.

"It's alright Jeanette," For one brief and blissful moment there, the events of yesterday had been completely forgotten and they were once again boyfriend and girlfriend; just like he'd always imagined, like he'd always hoped. Now it was gone and another hated silence descended between them. He found himself willing to say something, to think of something to talk about, anything to alleviate this silence. It seemed once again that Jeanette was reading his mind, "I was planning on going to the library after school" she said, hoping that she might be able to get the conversation going again. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with," she asked hopefully, "Like we use to"

Scott smiled, if only a little "You mean like you and Simon used to" he corrected her, without showing any hurt or anger at the statement. It was as if he was merely correcting her after making a mistake rather than suggesting that she was much closer to Simon than he could ever hope her to be to him.

Jeanette paled slightly at this attack, even though there was nothing accusing or hostile in Scott's voice. He was simply stating facts, but it still felt like he was trying to accuse her of something. "What are you trying to say?" she managed to respond, trying to keep her voice cool.

Scott sighed and stuffed his paws deep into his pockets. It was strange but it seemed to him as if a weight was being lifted off his chest as he talked. In a way it was almost a blessing. He'd been up all night worrying about what if and what should I do, now that he was able to voice his concerns and maybe get some answers, it actually made him feel better. "I'm just asking the same question that everyone else in the school is asking; why did you pick me over Simon?" Again there was nothing angry or aggressive in his voice, although there was the faintest trace of frustration. He wasn't accusing her of anything, he wasn't looking to hurt her in any way, he was simply looking for facts.

"How can you ask that?" she said softly, lifting her gaze up from the pavement to look her boyfriend in the eye. "Can't I go out with who I want to?"

Scott shifted closer to her, lifting one paw out of his pocket to run it through his hair and shake his head. "I didn't mean it like that Jeanette. Of course you have every right to choose who you want to go out with, but I'm your friend Jeanette," he said, trying his best to stay comforting, "and I know that he means much more to you than I ever could." His gaze fell back to the pavement beneath his footpaws "I just want you to be happy."

Jeanette reached out her own paw, and gently wrapped it around his. She wasn't sure what she could say now, what she could do. Scott's mind was made up and there was nothing that could be done to change it now.

He sighed once again and gave Jeanette's paw a soft squeeze as he tried to say those most difficult of words, the words that he'd hoped he would never have to say. "We're just friends Jeanette," He finally said after the short pause. "We can go on pretending all we like, but the simple truth is we're nothing more than friends. If we keep this charade going then we're only going to end up hurting the people we care about." As softly and gently as he could he slowly pulled his paw from Jeanette's. "I think it's best if we break up."

* * *

><p>Brittany Miller had never been particularly fond of Maths. It seemed like she did nothing in this class except sit around from day to day and watch the seconds tick slowly by; one by one. It was the first class of the day, why did it have to be SOOO boring?<p>

Brittany sighed gloomily to herself. She knew fine well that maths was a very important subject, and that she needed it if she wanted to succeed in life. She'd been told that so many times she was convinced that it was now burned right across her brain. However, that did not stop it from being one of the most incredibly boring and uninteresting subjects ever invented in the history of forever. The 'mind blowing excitement' she was currently experiencing wasn't helped one little bit by the teacher.

Mr Brown looked as if he was well over a hundred years old, and sounded it too. You could not find a slower and more boring voice if you tried. That and he was prone to forgetting things and even teaching the same lessons twice, like he was today. As the class dragged on, a battle of wills was being fought out inside her head, one half telling her to pay attention and the other that just couldn't be bothered and wanted to escape from the prison of dullness, needless to say it was a pretty one-sided battle in her mind.

Nobody really wanted to do any work let alone work they'd done twice already. So instead Brittany doodled in the margins of her notebook and allowed her mind to wander as she day-dreamed about nothing in particular.

Her dreaming and doodling were simultaneously interrupted as a folded bit of paper was flicked onto her desk.

Slightly startled by this unexpected event, she glanced down at the folded paper with 'Brit' written on it, in handwriting she instantly recognised as Jeanette's.

Passing notes? Really? That wasn't like Jeanette at all. Mr Brown's class had to be more boring than she'd imagined if even Jeanette had sunk down to the level of passing notes.

She unfolded the paper.

'We need to talk, in private. Jeanette'

She scrunched up the note and looked up towards her sister's desk, a few rows in front of her. She could already see Jeanette glancing over her shoulder looking for Brittany's response whilst trying not to be caught by Mr Brown.

She gave her a reassuring smile and a curt nod and mouthed 'later.'

Jeanette nodded before turning back towards the blackboard, only to see Mr Brown staring at her with mixed annoyance and disappointment in his eyes, after all Jeanette was one of his top pupils and if she was losing focus then there really was little hope for the rest of the class. "Please pay attention Miss Miller."

Jeanette's face fell back to her book "Sorry Mr Brown."

"This is a very important subject" he continued, now speaking to the entire class, "And I'm not going to go over this again."

'We should be so lucky' Brittany murmured under her breath as she returned to her day-dreaming and doodling, only now she had something to do, try and work out what Jeanette could want to talk to her about.

* * *

><p>When the bell finally rang, there wasn't one student that could get out of that classroom fast enough. It was one of the most violent rushes for the door that Brittany had ever seen. It seemed that everyone had woken up in the last few minutes and were suitably refreshed as a result. As for herself, she was about to join the mad stampede for freedom when she remembered her sisters note. She turned round towards Jeanette and indicated that she'd catch her outside.<p>

Jeanette emerged from the classroom only a minute behind everyone else and true to her word Brittany had waited for her. "So what's the big emergency Jean?" she asked as they made their way down the corridor towards their next class, which thankfully they had together. She knew already that it had to be something pretty important for Jeanette to have been caught passing notes in class.

She was equally surprised to see that Jeanette seemed to freeze in response, almost as if she had reconsidered asking her sister for advice. "It's... Kind of personal," she said after a short silence "can you promise that you won't tell anyone?"

Brittany couldn't help but feel hurt by the question. Sure she'd been known to gossip occasionally, but never anything that she considered to be private and certainly not anything about her sisters. "Oh course I won't tell anyone."

"OK," Jeanette paused again, boy this had to be something pretty big, "Me and Scott, we… we split up."

"Finally!" the exclamation was torn from Brittany's lips before she could do anything to stop it. She immediately regretted saying it, and the hurt look on Jeanette's face only made her feel worse, "Oh, I'm sorry Jeanette. I didn't mean it like that." She had really messed up this time. "Scott's a great guy," she continued this time succeeding in leaving out the 'If you like that type of guy' "But I just don't think he's right for you."

Jeanette seemed fixated on the floor directly beneath her footpaws as they continued to walk along, "I really did like him though Brittany, and we got along so well before." The sorrow she was feeling at the break up was evident in her voice, even though she suspected that Brittany knew their relationship had not been working out. "He told me he wanted me to be happy, that I deserved a chance to be with Simon." She clutched her books a little closer to her chest " I do like him Britt, I mean really like him, I always have," she seemed to be getting more upset as she spoke, "Even when I asked Scott out, even when we were dating, I seemed to be thinking of Simon all the time." She focused her eyes back down towards her feet, "How can I even talk to him after what I did? I'm a terrible person"

Brittany swung round in front of her sister, holding out a paw to stop her mid stride "Jeanette, you are not a bad person. I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again. You made a mistake, well Newsflash, we all do it." Jeanette looked back up over the brim of her books, actually glad to be late to class as it left all the corridors empty. "Scott willingly broke up with you because he wanted you to be happy. If you spend the time he gave you beating yourself up and being miserable then you are doing a much worse thing than asking out the wrong person. He's given you a chance to be with the person you really care about, whether it works out or not, the very least you can do for him is try?"

Jeanette's face broke into a weak but no-less warm smile, "Thank you Brittany."

Brittany lowered her paw and returned her sisters smile "No problem Jean. I'm your sister, it's what we do."

* * *

><p>The evenings chess game arrived sooner than expected and was a welcome relief after rather boring day, Scott however appeared more distant than usual. Simon had to admit that he was still as confused, if not more so, by recent events, but he was nonetheless feeling much better today.<p>

He guessed that it must have been the unknown that had been bothering so much.

He had felt angry at Scott for 'stealing his girl' and betrayed by Jeanette for choosing his best friend over him, but since his talk with Scott he had realised that there had been no malice behind what had happened. He'd remembered that Scott was after all his best friend and he was right when he'd said that Jeanette had the right to date whoever she wanted. Besides she seemed happy enough with Scott.

There seemed to be little point in him stressing out over it, what's done is done, spilt milk and all that. Besides what could he do? Confess his love to Jeanette and try to win her over? If he did that then wouldn't he be doing exactly what he had been so angry at Scott for doing?

Most of the game passed by without event until Simon just couldn't take it anymore.

"Something the matter?" Simon inquired. He couldn't help but realise just how quickly he and Scott had switched over. Sure Simon still wasn't back to his usual self, but right now Scott looked as bad as Simon had imagined himself looking only yesterday. It truly was amazing just how quickly and easily a person's mood could be changed, how even the smallest and seemingly insignificant event could lift you up or knock you down in an instant. All that aside he wondered what event could possibly have happened in a few short hours that could change Scott's mood so quickly and so drastically.

Scott gave him a rather surprised look "You mean Jeanette didn't tell you?"

Simon shook his head; Jeanette hadn't really said anything to him since he'd been back. In fact, they hadn't 'really' spoken since she had said no. He hadn't even seen Jeanette today. All the same, the mere mention of her name, despite everything that had happened between them was still enough to immediately grab his complete and undivided attention.

Scott shrugged as he pondered the best way to break this important piece of news. "Me and Jeanette split up" he said after a pause, his voice was sad, but at the same time gave the impression that it was for the best.

"I'm sorry," Simon offered.

Scott simply smiled and gave Simon an 'I'm fine really' look "nah, its okay. It wasn't really working anyway. She loved someone else" Scott felt the sudden urge to tell the whole story even though he knew he couldn't. If he told Simon that he had broken up with Jeanette just so that she could have a second chance to be with Simon, then Simon would never forgive him. He knew Simon well enough to know that he would be wracked with guilt for the rest of his life if he knew, and he shouldn't have too. He had broken up with Jeanette of his own free will, it hadn't been working out between them and that was all that Simon really needed to know. Besides he'd broken up with Jeanette so that she and Simon could be happy, not so that he could pile a ton of guilt on both of them.

"I'm sorry," Simon repeated, almost unable to think of anything else to say. There was a part of him that was overjoyed to hear what Scott had just said and he felt wretched because of it. He struggled to keep his voice emotionless and even, as if the news was no big deal to him, and kept his eyes fixed on the chess board. "Is it someone you know?" he found himself asking, as he slowly moved his bishop and took one of Scott's rooks off the board. He wondered just who Jeanette could possibly have chosen over both him and Scott. He certainly couldn't remember seeing her spend time with any other boys in the past. Just who could it be?

Scott smiled and nodded "Yeah I know him," he gave Simon a proud and approving nod, "He's a good guy and they deserve to be together. They make a really good couple."

Simon, clueless to the end, completely missed the giant hint that Scott had just thrown in his direction and completely misinterpreted what his best friend was telling him.

The bell rang and Simon got up, still trying to hide his emotions from Scott. Just who could Jeanette possibly want to go out with, if it wasn't him or Scott then who. He got the feeling like he'd be distracted by this all day, "Well, see you later."

Scott nodded and smiled to himself. He felt like he should be sad right now, but he wasn't. Simon and Jeanette were his best friends, his only real friends. If his breaking up with Jeanette was all he needed to do to make them happy then it was a sacrifice he was glad to make. He picked up Simon's queen off the side of the board and slid it back into place beside the king. He gave a soft chuckle before picking up his bag. "Yeah, that's better" he said under his breath.


	5. Chapter 5: Call me maybe?

The school library was a as quiet and deserted as could be expected for a school library. The place was literally deserted aside from the librarian, Simon and a sparse scattering of nerds. To Simon, though, it was as close to paradise on earth that you could get. He had hoped coming here would help him think, and yet he was still as confused, if not more so, by recent events. He was nonetheless feeling much better now. Here at least he could literally be back in his comfort zone.

He guessed that it must have been the unknown that had been bothering so much. He had dedicated most of his life so far to answering questions and working things out, but he could still safely say that as far as love and girls went he was still completely clueless.

Simon stared at the book in front of him but no matter how hard he gazed at the words before him they just wouldn't sink in. He was genuinely surprised how little Scott's news had affected him. He had imagined he'd be confused and a little bit angry, but in truth he was glad. Jeanette had obviously found someone who she genuinely loved, sure he was upset that it wasn't him but he was happy for her none the less.

He'd kind of been hoping to find some kind of peace in the library, his lifelong fortress of solitude. Wherever he went, though he could not escape the nagging voice at the back of his head, Who? Who on earth could Jeanette have chosen over both him and Scott? Who could possibly care for her more than them?

He shook his head, as if that action alone would get rid of the questions in his head. Jeanette was one of his closest friends, if she wanted him to know then she'd tell him when she wanted to.

As it turned out something did eventually grab his attention away from Jeanette, however it was not by his book but rather by a short tower of books that seemed to float past by themselves. Eyes widened slightly, Simon noticed the pale brown fur and the woven faux leather bracelet that he immediately recognised. "Luke?" It was more of a question than a greeting, after all he'd only know Luke for two days.

As if in a scene from a cartoon, Luke's head popped round the side of his large pile of books "Oh hey Simon. I was ah...Just going to do a bit of light reading for...you know, the History project." His voice continued to stop and start,as if he'd done something wrong and was trying to explain himself. He continued to shuffle his footpaws as he spoke as if he was anxious to keep moving, whilst his mouth continually twitched into a nervous smile.

"Light reading?" Simon asked, with as much friendly sarcasm as he could manage. He was nonetheless pleasantly surprised to see someone else who took as much an interest in reading as he and Jeanette did.

Luke glanced back at the books as if he'd forgotten they were there, "Oh, eh yeah...they're for the history project," He repeated, his footpaws still shuffling anxiously "and there's not really much else to do... At my place I mean."

Simon's ears picked up at this new piece of surprising news, "You have your own place?"

Luke struggled to stop the top book from falling of the pile "Believe me, It sounds more impressive than it is." Seemingly satisfied that his pile of books was not going to collapse now, "It's one of the RAAs. I kinda learnt why they were free." he chuckled.

The Rodent Accommodation Apartments had been designed and built simply to house the mass of chipmunk students that had been flooding into LA with no family and no money to buy houses. Technically the apartments were part of the school grounds but that hadn't stopped their construction and provision becoming a massive controversy.

Why should rats get free homes? and why should human American taxpayers have to pay for them?

Controversies aside, Simon had to admit that he'd never heard anyone say anything good about them except the fact that they were free, until you left school then you had to hand over your keys and go your own way.

Simon visibly grimaced as he remembered just a few of the horror stories he'd heard about those tiny, cramped apartments. "Are they really as bad as people say?" he asked.

Luke shifted his weight from one footpaw to the other and back again, "I guess...I'm not really sure what people say though." His face fell and he looked down at his footpaws, "You're, kind of, the only person who talks to me." He looked back up, a renewed smile across his face as if what he'd said was already forgotten, or at least hoping to reassured Simon that he was actually OK, and the friend business was no big deal.

Simon however refused to let it go at just that. He knew what it was like to not fit in, to not have many friends. Besides there was some part of him deep down that just wanted to spend more time with Luke. If nothing else then at least spending some more time with the guy might explain why he felt the way he did around him. "If you want," he said after a short pause, "We could get together after school and do some work on the project together." He shrugged as if it wasn't that important, "After all it is supposed to be a joint project."

Luke was quiet for a few seconds before he nodded, "Sure that'd be great."

Simon smiled warmly, "Great, how about tomorrow after school?"

Luke returned the smile, "Sound good. I'd best go then, My place is... a bit of a state."

"Alright," Simon reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He quickly scribbled something down and handed it over. Carefully balancing his books with one hand, Luke reached out and took the offered paper, a little confused.

"That's my number. If you have any ideas about the project, just give me a call." Simon's heart was going a hundred miles per hour as he spoke. He'd exchanged numbers with project partners before, why was this one different.

Luke smiled as he looked down at the paper, "You bet, I'll…I'll give it some thought." After re-balancing his books again he turned towards the door, "See you tomorrow then."

As Luke lumbered towards the library doors with his tower of books, Simon couldn't help but grin. Luke was weird, there was no denying that, but there was just something about him.

Forget about Jeanette's mysterious boyfriend, he was much more interested in what this feeling was that he got around Luke and why it made him feel the way it did.

* * *

><p>Brittany strolled towards the school library, a small pile of books slung under one arm. It was difficult to think where she had got the idea from, but for some reason she'd kidded herself into thinking she would study hard this year. She'd even gone so far as to borrow some books from the library, until then a largely unknown place to her, in the foolish belief she'd actually read them. It hadn't taken her long to realise she had too much to do in her life to waste time reading. After all, It was only the first week back and she had already been invited to Marcus Adams party. Well of course she'd been invited, what event could possibly call itself a party without her, the point was that she already had such a crowded social life. She had to prioritise things and in a toss up between reading and a party, well it wasn't much of a contest was it.<p>

She wondered if Alvin was going? It would be embarrassing to turn up without your boyfriend after all, but on the other hand the whole of the summer holidays had gone by and he'd never called her, not even once. She could probably do without him, He wasn't much of a boyfriend. It was almost as if he only hung out with her to brag about dating her, like she was some sort of trophy. Well screw that, if Alvin wanted to go to another party with her then he was going to have to show it.

She could always take Jeanette instead. A good party should cheer her up after what had happened with Scott; maybe even give her a chance to move on. If she really did like Simon as much as she had said then a party would be the perfect opportunity to tell him. Part of her wondered if she should probably leave a bit of time for her to get over breaking up with Scott. She wasn't convinced though, after all Scott had been the one to break up with her and as far as Brittany was concerned, Jeanette had already wasted too much time dancing around the prospect of asking Simon out. Scott had had his chance, it wasn't her fault if he'd chosen to throw it away, besides, it wasn't as if Scott was going to be there anyway; he hated parties, why else would he never turn up! That was another reason why it was best Jeanette start seeing someone else.

As she made it to library doors, she reached out a paw to push them open. No sooner had she done this when the door collided with someone leaving, a young chipmunk, sending him crashing to the floor with a scattering of books.

"Hey!" Brittany exclaimed instinctively, ready to explode into a tirade of reasons why this guy should watch where he was going, but for some reason the words wouldn't come.

The chipmunk she'd bumped into scrambled around trying to pick up his books whilst apologising again and again. "I'm so so sorry." He repeated, sounding as if he was just about to have some sort of attack. "I should watch where I'm going more. I can't believe that." He continued, seemingly getting more and more worked up.

Realising that she had never seen this guy before, meaning he must be the new kid she'd heard about, Brittany immediately felt sorry for him. She bent down to help him, "It's ok." She said picking up a book, "There's no harm done, except maybe to your pride."

As she was now level with him she could now see his face clearly. He was defiantly new because there was no way she could have missed someone this cute for long. His eyes, his hair, his smooth brown fur; If Alvin didn't get his act together soon this guy would be serious competition for him. Well, maybe not quite competition. Alvin was hot, this guy was cute, really cute.

"I'm Brittany." She said in a tone that not implied he already should have known that but also he could have her number if he wanted. As if that want enough, she added a flick of her hair for good measure.

The new guy seemed to lighten up a bit, but didn't take as much notice of her as she would have liked, "I'm Luke." He scooped up that last of his books, offering her a smile as one final apology, "I'm kind of new here."

Brittany nodded "Oh, well if you need anyone to show you around don't hesitate to ask."

Luke nodded, he seemed impatient somehow, as if he was late for class or something. "Sure thanks." He tried to wave without his tower of books collapsing, "I'll see you later." And he was off, just like that without another word.

Jeez, that guy was sure in a hurry. Probably just anxious to get home, goodness knows she was. With a dejected sigh Brittany turned back towards the library, Just hand in these books and you can go home she thought.

As she reached out her paw for the second time she was stopped again, this time by something on the floor. A book. It must have been one of Luke's, he must have missed it in his rush to go… well wherever the heck he was going.

She thought about calling him back, but as she stood there a smile came across her face. It would be best to leave it for now, she thought as she reached out to pick up the book, after all now she had an excuse to talk to him tomorrow, maybe even invite him to Marcus's party; Just in case Alvin didn't change his attitude.

There was no harm having a plan B after all, was there?

* * *

><p>Alvin reached into the locker and pulled out his small aerosol of deodorant. Basketball practice had gone without a hitch as usual and he was feeling particularly confident about next weeks game. All that extra practice he'd put in over the holidays, added to his already abundant natural talent of course, made it almost impossible for them to lose.<p>

"Hey, Big A." It was Ryan, who was only slightly less obnoxious than when Alvin had first met him, "Borrow your Deo?" Alvin tossed the small aerosol across to his friend "I haven't been seeing you around," Ryan continued as he sprayed ridiculous amounts of deodorant over his chest "you been avoiding me or something?"

Alvin pulled his red hoodie back on, before stopping to rearrange his hair, "What can I say, my timetable this year sucks. I don't get gym til Friday."

Ryan smirked and tossed back the deodorant that Alvin neatly caught, "You're telling me?" he pulled on his own T-shirt, "You're lucky bro, I got Gym classes with the new guy."

Alvin finished with his hair and made for his bag, "Oh that guy," he paused trying to remember his name whilst he stuffed the aerosol back into his bag, "He didn't look like he'd fit in at gym." He couldn't remember much about the guy but he did remember that the guy looked a little too thin and not especially strong. He certainly wasn't a jock that much was sure.

Ryan scoffed "That's an understatement, the guy's totally useless, can't even pass a ball," He stopped to pull on his shirt before continuing in a matter-of-fact manner, "but hey, what do you expect."

Alvin frowned, there was something different in Ryan's tone, like he wasn't just talking about the guys lack of upper body strength "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ryan looked at him with a genuinely surprised look, "Dude, you haven't heard? he's bent."

"What?, come on." Alvin half smirked, this had to be one of Ryan's wind ups.

Ryan raised both hands in his own defence "Honest truth, the guys a fag."

Alvin grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder "And who told you that?"

Ryan scoffed "Everybody knows, It's like the biggest bit of news since we got back. You honestly hadn't heard?"

Alvin shrugged "We'll I'd heard he was weird, but I thought it was, like Scott Williams weird or Ellen Milliken weird." Ellen Milliken was a girl in the year below Alvin who was well known thought the school for her eccentric emo/anime girl look. Alvin headed for the locker room door, "Seriously though, why'd you think he's bent? He didn't look queer to me."

Ryan shrugged and spread his hands "I dunno, there's just something about him. I guess I've just got good gaydar." He finished pulling on his jacket and grabbed his bag "Whatever, I'm just glad I only have one class with him, I don't want him eyeing me up all the time." He slung his bag over his shoulder and made to leave, but stopped at the door. "Oh, you going to Marcus's party tonight. I hear it's going to be epic."

Alvin wasn't paying to much attention, he was still reeling from Ryan's news. Seriously, he'd only been a few inches from the guy and he couldn't tell. "Sure, you know I'd never miss a party. Plus I think I may need to patch things up with Brittany." He shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, ok I didn't call her but she didn't call me either, so it's as much her fault as mine."

Ryan smirked, so his friend was in the doghouse again. Somethings never changed, "Cool, I'll see you later then."

"Sure. Later" Alvin responded half-heartedly, still coming to grips with what he'd heard and wondering if Simon had heard the news about his new friend.


	6. Chapter 6: A Quiet Night In

**Well It's been a LONG time, Alas I have been busy with Uni work, Trying to write a proper novel and a possible Boyfriend :) so Fanfiction has been fairly low on my list of my priorities for which I apologise. Still I would really like to finish this story and shall try my hardest to do just that.  
>Reviews always help with my motivation ;)<strong>

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><p>Dave would have been proud at how calm and quiet the Seville household was that night, if he had been there that is. Unfortunately Dave's schedule had been especially horrific of late. Between late nights and early morning it seemed like he'd barely been home at all over the past week. Ordinarily this would have been a dream situation for Alvin and a nightmarish one for Simon. It had become almost routine that any night Dave was not in would be a constant power struggle between the two brothers. Alvin would spend the night doing things he shouldn't whilst Simon tried, more often than not in vain, to keep him in check or at least some kind of order. Then the time between Dave getting back and going to bed would be filled with more subdued arguments and "I told you so's"<p>

It was an almost unending battle between order and anarchy, brother against brother, as eldest and most responsible struggled to be in charge of the house in Dave's absence. Almost always Alvin would end up triumphant through a combination of his stubborn nature and refusal to admit to even the lowest level of authority. It may well have been the case that he simply did not like being told what to do by his little, well younger, brother, but whatever it was it really got on Simon's nerves, especially after all these years. Yet somehow he had found a way to persevere, even reaching the point where he reluctantly admitted there was nothing he could do to stop Alvin's shenanigans so why even try. He had hoped that as they had gotten older Alvin would eventually grow up. For once though, Simon had been proved wrong.

Simon removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. He had no idea how long he'd been studying tonight but it seemed like forever. The words on the pages had begun to blur into meaningless gibberish. This just wasn't right, normally whenever he tried to study Alvin would interfere for some reason or another, this quiet was just unnatural. What was stranger still was that he was having an even harder time focusing now then he did when Alvin was winding him up. There seemed to be so many things nagging at the back of his mind that, he couldn't study under these conditions no matter how hard he tried.

He was actually relieved when Theodore walked past his bedroom door, as it gave him an excuse to abandon his pointless attempt at studying, "Oh, Hey Theo, how's it going?"

Theodore stopped mid step, slightly confused. Simon was always complaining that Alvin never let him study in peace, yet now the house was a quiet as a tomb he didn't seem to be doing work. "Good, thanks." He craned his neck to try and see the book on Simon's desk, "Doing homework?"

Simon sighed and turned back to his book, "Kind of, Professor Cutter wants us to do a project on causes of the Civil war. Basically an essay; and he wants it next week."

Theo's face fell a bit, as he could safely guess what was annoying Simon, "oh, yeah. Professor Cutter's like that. Is Alvin not helping?" It was something of an old story in the Seville's house. Alvin and Simon would pair up for homework, and then Simon did all the work whilst Alvin did very little, if any. Theo could only guess it was brotherly loyalty that led Simon to continually pair up with Alvin, that or he was still living in hope that his brother might change.

Simon, however, surprised him by shaking his head "Alvin's not my partner," Simon actually laughed, as if he'd finally relieved himself of a massive burden "I'm not going through all that again. I'm working with Luke this time."

Theodore nodded and smiled, fully understanding Simon's relief. "Yeah I can't blame you for that. Luke though, He's the new guy isn't he?"

Simon nodded, still looking at his book. He paused before speaking again, "Have you noticed anything...different about him?"

Theodore raised one eyebrow in confusion, "I haven't spoken to him yet, but he seems normal to me. Why?"

Simon smiled to himself, "It's nothing, don't worry about it." He tried to focus on his work but he could feel Theodore's penetrating stare behind him. It sounded so silly but he supposed he owed Theodore some kind of explanation. "Ok, I know it sounds odd, but I just get the feeling there's something...different about him." He turned round to face Theodore, his expression not giving away any clues, "Maybe it's just me."

Theodore wasn't so sure about that, but He was just glad to see Simon smiling again, "What do you mean different?"

Simon turned back to his book, shrugging his shoulders as he did, "I don't know. It's not bad or anything, just...a bit strange. Maybe it's just having a friend who isn't a complete nerd for a change."

This last remark made Theodore beam, Simon really did seem to be better and that was enough for Theodore. "Well, Ok then. I just was going to make some muffins, do you want one?"

"Sure, just give me a shout, when their done."

So Theodore turned and left his brothers room, feeling particularly upbeat this time. Things seemed to be going back to normal, better yet without the fighting. He grinned and scurried off towards the kitchen, ready to make his best darn muffins yet.

* * *

><p>Dave's absence these past few days was actually something of a relief for Alvin, after all who didn't dream about having a house to themselves, or at least a house without parents.<p>

Tonight however was not going quite as well as Alvin had hoped, for one thing the television was rotten. There seemed to be nothing at all worth watching, hundred of channels and still nothing. Secondly it didn't take a genius to notice there was a substantial space between him and Brittany, considering they were supposed to be dating. Was it possible this whole not calling thing had really upset her? He wondered if he should apologise to her but there was the stubborn streak in him that told him he'd done nothing wrong so he had nothing to apologise for. After all it wasn't like she'd been calling HIM over the holiday so what was she complaining about? If she wanted to talk why couldn't she just pick up the phone?

Alvin lay back on his bed, pulling his mobile from his hoodie pocket as he did so. The small screen lit up as he scrolled through his contacts before hovering over Brittany. Maybe he should call her, just to figure out if he had done something wrong. If he had you could bet your bottom dollar she'd tell him. He tapped the call button and lent back, with the phone pressed against his ear. It rang once, twice, three times before it was picked up and he heard a familiar but un-enthusiastic 'What' from the other end. Damn caller ID, he thought to himself.

"Hey Brit. I heard Marcus Adams was holding a party and thought you'd like to come along? Maybe we could go together."

On the other end Brittany's faced cracked into a smile, maybe there was hope for Alvin after all. Of course he wasn't totally off the hook yet, He still had a lot of making up to do. "Sure," she said in a non committal tone, "I guess I could go." She decided to leave out the fact the she had been planning to go anyway, with or without him.

Alvin grinned at his success, she really was like putty in his paws, "Great, see you there then." He was about to hang up at that, but something stopped him, as if he could sense there was something else Brittany wanted to talk about. Sure enough there was.

"Hey Alvin, what's been up with Simon?" she asked. She, like everyone else at school, had never seen him this down. Even when Ryan had bullied him and Alvin was a real jerk, Simon had always seemed to keep this grim optimism that would keep him going and not let him feel down. Now he just seemed depressed and she couldn't work out why.

At the other end Alvin just leant back further into his pillow, one paw running through his hair as he replied, "Beats me."

At the very least Brittany had been expecting a bit more than that, in fact she was appalled by Alvin's apparently lack of concern for his brother, "He's your brother!" she exclaimed incredulously.

Alvin spread his free paw as wide as he could to show he was powerless, an admirable but futile action seeing as he was on the phone. "It's not my fault he doesn't want to talk about it believe me I've tried but getting feeling from Simons like getting blood from a stone," a slightly mischievous look came across his face, "but if you want my two cents worth, he's in love."

Brittany rolled her eyes, Alvin could be such a child sometimes, "I know what you mean, Jeanette's the same. She's not been herself since she turned him down."

Alvin sat up straight again, "You know we could always try and bring them together, you know a bit of a helping hand, nudge in the right direction that kind of thing."

Brittany had wanted to suggest the same thing, but she was a bit more cautious. If it didn't work, she might end up making Jeanette feel even worse, "I don't know."

Alvin however had made up his mind and now wild horses couldn't stop him. "Come on Brittany, they obviously just need a little help to get the ball rolling, besides we've got the party coming up should be a great opportunity."

Brittany was proving to be uncharacteristically restrained, but even she couldn't hold out against Alvin's optimistic bombardment, "I suppose it couldn't hurt to give it a try, But lets be absolutely clear about this," She smirked cheekily, "I'm in charge."

* * *

><p>Simon lay down on his bed, facing his laptop, with his fingers hovering over the keyboard wondering what to type. He had hoped that following her break up with Scott things would have become easier between him and Jeanette, but he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He had used to spend most of their school days talking to her about anything and everything, but since Scott things just seemed more complicated.<p>

A short ping from his laptop indicated that he had received a message. He scrolled a finger across the touch pad till his mouse was hovering over the message icon, then clicked on it. The screen immediately leapt back into life as his 'Critter' profile page sprung up with a flashing inbox, indicating a new message.

It was from Jeanette.

'Hello Simon, How are you feeling?'

He smiled to himself, even with instant messaging it seemed that Jeanette preferred to use proper grammar, a sentiment he could wholeheartedly agree with. His fingers began to fly over the keyboard as he replied.

'Ok I guess. Just finished doing some homework.'

He waited for the response, wondering if he would in fact get one. He should have asked what she was doing. Keep the conversation going, that's what he'd heard.

'Cool, I just finished my homework too, want to chat?'

Simon's smile widened, of course he wanted to chat. 'Sure'. He let that single word hang in cyberspace for what seemed like an eternity.

'I heard about you and Scott, Sorry :( ' He typed, as he could not think of anything else to say.

There was a long pause; so long he was beginning to think she might have signed out. What the heck had he been thinking, the conversation was barely 30 seconds old and already he'd dropped a massive bomb on it. Stupid, stupid stupid.

Then it came.

'It wasn't working out. We were just friends'

Simon paused, unsure how to respond to that. He didn't like online chatting, mainly because most of what he said relied heavily on the way he said it. He still had no idea just how you were expected to show sarcasm over the Web (which accounted for a lot of his conversations). This time however was different. He wanted to console Jeanette, after all she was his friend, but how could he sound sorrowful when he wasn't.

He was spared this particular moral dilemma this time as another response pinged across his screen.

'Feels a bit weird talking about it like this. Would you like to have lunch tomorrow and talk then?'

Tomorrow was a school day, so the offer of Lunch wasn't as romantic as it first appeared but it was still a date as far as Simon was concerned. So he'd take it. All that really mattered was that they'd be talking again, and be able to put all this nonsense behind them.

'Sure thing' He typed back 'See you tomorrow then'

Simon had a date, with Jeanette.


	7. Chapter 7: A Lunch to Remember

**Wow, this chapter was a nightmare with a capital N. Yes I am back everyone and more powerful than ever before. A thousand apologies for the very very delayed chapter. I spent ages and ages rewriting this and it never quite seemed right, then I had to focus on uni..ugh. But the important thing is it is now complete and the rest of the story should be much easier.**

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><p>It was another new day and another new lunch break, but whilst on the surface it may just look like another school lunchtime, today was a big day. Big stuff would go down today though few people could have expected it. Today would prove to be the start of something big. For a certain group of chipmunks today would be make or break day.<p>

You could hardly have got that feeling from watching Simon as he glided through the lunchroom, much the way he use to. It seemed to all who took the time to notice him that the downhearted attitude he seemed to have developed had gone and the old Simon that they all knew had returned. Of course beneath his calm exterior there was doubt, that was true of anyone, but if he didn't take the time to dwell on them, then it was almost as if they weren't there anymore.

He finally settled on a seat towards the back of the lunch hall, close enough to where he usually sat. He had usually shared lunch with Scott here and discussed things that most other people would have considered downright nerdy. Today however, he found himself alone and transfixed by the small bowl of jelly on his tray. He watched as it gently wobbled from side to side; all his attention fixated on this transparent green blob as he pondered what Scott had told him only a few days ago. Jeanette and Scott had split up, why; Because Jeanette had been in love with someone else. What Simon couldn't work out was, who. Who could Jeanette possibly picked over both of them, and what did that say about their lunch together?

He wondered for a brief moment if Scott had been referring to him. Could it be possible that Jeanette had changed her mind and decided she wanted to be with him after all? No he found that unlikely. It just wasn't like the Jeanette he knew. If she'd liked him she would have said yes when he asked her out, not drag her friend Scott through all this emotional anguish.

So he returned his thoughts to wondering who it was that could have won over Jeanette and returned his fork to the task of poking the inoffensive blob of jelly on his tray. That was until his fixated gaze was suddenly broken by another tray sliding up beside his. He froze, knowing exactly who it was. He twisted his head round and gave Jeanette a welcoming half smile. "Hey," he said, as casually as he could manage.

Jeanette smiled back at him, "Mind if I sit here?"

He nodded and gestured a free paw towards the empty spot beside him, "Not at all," he continued smiling as she sat down, although he realised it was beginning to get a little weird, so he turned back to the jelly and gave it another poke "How have you been?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I'm ok, given everything that's happened," she shifted to look at him. "It's been a crazy few weeks hasn't it."

Simon let out a short laugh at that, "You can say that again." He looked up from his jelly, to return Jeanette's eye contact. "I think even by Seville standards it's been a pretty crazy few weeks." He quickly turned his attention back to the jelly cause of what he had to say next "So what happened with you and Scott?"

Jeanette's pause made him feel bad for even asking, did it really matter anyway he found himself wondering. Finally she spoke, but it was the same answer she'd given the night before, "We're just friends, and it wasn't working out."

Simon continued to poke the jelly, "Oh, sorry." Despite his best efforts he didn't sound it, "If you want to talk..." She paused, seemed to gulp, before looking down at her tray but said nothing. "It's just, it seems like we've barely spoken at all." It was beginning to look like he'd have to most of the talking, "I mean, I guess it's as much my fault anyway. We've both had plenty to think about recently." He let out a sigh "Trying to work some stuff out."

Finally he decided to leave the poor jelly alone and lay his fork down. As if some floodgate inside him had finally opened, he found he couldn't hold back, "Can you at least tell me what I did? I mean we were getting along so well then suddenly you act like there's nothing going on between us."

Jeanette realised that she could no longer keep it a secret, Simon was her closest friend, and if they were going to remain that way then she knew she had to give him an explanation. "I guess that was the reason." She said, causing Simon to give her a confused look, It wasn't very often that he got confused.

"What do you mean?" she had to admire the fact that he always managed to keep his cool. His voice had remained level and unwavering throughout their conversation.

"It's because we were such good friends. I was afraid that if we started dating and then broke up we'd never be able to go back to being friends."

Simon was unusually quiet, "Why would you think that?"

As she opened her mouth to try and say all the things she'd just wanted to say, Alvin appeared at the table, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey you two, mind if I join you?"

In those few seconds Simon could have throttled Alvin right there and then. What the hell Alvin? Couldn't you have waited two seconds? Why was Alvin always appearing where he wasn't wanted at the worst possible opportunity? It was almost like he was purposefully trying to annoy Simon recently.

Simon however wasn't the only one in the lunch hall fuming at Alvin's unexpected appearance. Brittany may have been on the other side of the lunch hall, but Theodore could see her eyes widened in horror and the fury virtually poured out of her, "What is that idiot doing?" She turned to Theodore as if she expected some explanation from him, "He's going to ruin everything."

Eleanor grimaced, "I assume he's trying to help…in some strange sort of Alvin way." Her sister's hope didn't seem to help Brittany at all, her paws gripping her hair in frustration.

"Who on earth butts in on people having a private conversation? One of them is his brother for gods sake!" Her paws suddenly slammed onto the table, making Theodore jump a little. "We've got to stop him." She had worked far to hard trying to get Simon and Jeanette together, she wasn't about to sit back and watch whilst her pig-headed and idiotic boyfriend flushed all her hard work down the toilet.

Before Theodore could even blink, she had scooped up her tray and seemed to glide across the lunch hall faster than he had thought was possible. She was almost sprinting, yet somehow she managed to make even that look dignified. Theo and Eleanor exchanged glances for a split second, before they both grabbed their trays and followed Brittany.

"Oh there you are Alvin," Brittany said with as much mock surprise as she could manage. She even managed to smile as if she was genuinely happy to see Alvin, and not wanting to strangle him. "I've been looking for you all over," she placed a paw on his shoulder, trying to look casual when in fact she was trying to drag him away "We've got that project to work on."

Alvin appeared to be so dense he completely ignored her tone and expression, "It's going great Brit, I've got most of it done." He brushed her paw off his shoulder and leant up, as if to kiss her cheek, and whispered in her ear "Don't worry, I got this one." With that he sat back down and gave her a very obvious wink.

Brittany was fuming, her anger and frustration threatening to boil over whilst her eye burned holes into the back of Alvin's head. She was only prevented from murdering him then and there by the timely intervention of Eleanor. "How would you guys feel about catching a movie tonight?" Eleanor asked, attempting to defuse the situation. "We haven't done anything together since summer."

Alvin leapt at the chance, "Great idea, Pizza and late night monster movies." He seemed to buzzing at the idea already, as if it was something he didn't get to do a lot. In truth pizza and late night movies were his plans most nights.

His idea didn't seem to be quite what Eleanor had in mind judging from the look she gave him, but overall it seemed to be quite popular.

"What do you think Simon?" Jeanette asked, a little timidly, but still sensing the opportunity Eleanor had just given her.

Simon offered her a smile that was warm, but still weak "Yeah, sure. Sound's great," he desperately wanted to sound more enthusiastic but he couldn't stop himself from adding, "Just like the old days." He fondly remembered the old days, just after the Chipettes had arrived at West-Eastman when they'd all lived together. When they had had many late movie nights, he could stay in and do some reading with Jeanette, when they'd been near enough to a family. Those had been wonderful days.

He also remembered that glorious day when they'd first met, when he'd seen that locker door slam shut and she'd been standing there, as beautiful as ever. Or at least that had been how he remembered it. The shine from that memory had been worn off slightly in recent months. The day she'd rejected him, when she'd asked out Scott and now he found there was someone else clouding his thoughts. Whenever he thought about how pretty she'd looked that first day, or how happy he felt when they'd chatted last night, he couldn't help but think about Luke as well; he way he smiled, his gentle laughter, his innocent eyes. It was all too confusing for Simon. He simply didn't know what he was feeling any more.

For Alvin sitting opposite them, he was almost cringing. This small talk between people who were obviously crazy about each other was almost too painful to watch. They were both, as far as he was concerned, in love and yet they were both just too timid to actually speak up and do anything about it.

If Brittany had known what Alvin was thinking there may actually have bee a small part of her that agreed with him. They both obviously wanted to be together but neither of them seemed willing to make the first move. If however she had known how Alvin intended to tackle the stalemate, she would not have hesitated to flatten him right there and then.

With all the subtlety and delicacy of brick to the face, Alvin decided to throw caution to the wind as he usually did and make the first move for them, "Si, you and Jeanette should totally go together, then it'll be like a triple date."

Jeanette almost choked on a grape, Simon sprayed the milk he'd been drinking over the table, Theodore and Eleanor gave each other surprised looks and Brittany, after partially recovering from her shock gave him the dirtiest of looks which almost shouted 'you could have worded that a bit better you moron.'

Alvin spread his paws in genuine confusion, as he looked round the table of shocked faces, "What?"

"Alvin," Brittany snapped under her breath. Her blood was boiling again. She swore that for the rest of her life she would never trust Alvin with anything sensitive again. He was like a bull in a china shop at the best of times, or even better a bull that was constantly seeing red as that was his trademark colour after all.

Jeanette took a deep gulp and glanced over at Simon, her cheeks glowing slightly "What do you think Simon?"

Simon did not know what to say. He looked down at his lunch and before he could stop himself he blurted out "So, I'm you're silver medal am I?" Stupid, why did he say that? He didn't have to look at the shocked faces gathered round the table to regret saying that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he placed one paw over Jeanette's. "It's just…" he paused thinking how best he could explain it, "It's been a hard few weeks for me."

Jeanette pulled her paw from under his, she wasn't angry but it was obvious she was upset, "It's not exactly been a picnic for me either." She looked back down at her tray, chasing a grape with her fork.

Simons gaze hardened as he looked at her. "Why now?" he finally asked, hoping to get an answer to the question he'd asked himself almost every day since she'd rejected him "If you really cared about me why didn't you say yes when I asked you out ages ago. Why did you go out with Scott if you wanted to be with me?"

Jeanette chased a grape around her lunch tray with a fork before softly admitting "I was scared"

Simon raised an eyebrow in confusion "What do you mean scared?"

"I was afraid that if we ever got together and then broke up for some reason we might lose our friendship," she finally gave up chasing the grape, "I didn't want that to happen." Her eyes stared deeply into his, pleading him to understand "I'm sorry"

"I don't want to lose our friendship either," Simon said simply. He couldn't hold her gaze for long, "but what happened…It hurt me Jeanette. It hurt me a lot and I just don't know what to do now."

Jeanette looked back down at the food in front of her, almost too frightened to ask what she wanted to, "Is it too late for us?" she finally said after a long pause, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Simon was silent for far too long. The other chipmunks around the table were still in a state of shock by what had already happened. "I don't know. I need to think." He lifted his tray, left the table and walked out of the lunch hall without any of them saying a word.

Silence descended on the table after he left. If looks could kill, Alvin would have been killed several times over by the angry glare Brittany was giving him.

After a few minutes, Jeanette got up and left the table without saying a word.

"Jeanette," Brittany cried after her sister as she rose from her seat. When Jeanette ignored her, she glared at Alvin "They want each other?" she snapped, quoting him from earlier.

Alvin spread his paws "How is this my fault?"


	8. Chapter 8: Evening Lessons

**Another Chapter down, (after a while) we're on the home stretch though. Hope you guys enjoy :)**

* * *

><p>Simon gave the apartment door three hefty knocks. Given all the excitement at lunch he had almost forgotten about his plans with Luke. It may have been he'd deliberately forgotten them, but there was a part of him that couldn't accept that. He was here to help with a history project, to hang out with a friend, that was all. There was no answer at the door for a good while, he even began to wonder if there was anyone in, which was a stupid question because he could hear music coming from behind the door. He even began to wonder if he had gotten the correct apartment, but only a few seconds after that thought entered his head he heard the door being unlocked and it swung open.<p>

Light brown fur and pale blue eyes popped out to greet Simon, followed by a thin mouth that rapidly cracked into a surprised smile. "Simon," It said in a pleasantly surprised voice, "I thought maybe you wouldn't want to come."

"Well, we need to get this project done and I didn't have anything else going on." Simon smiled a little, "Truth is, I've been anxious to get here." He gave a short shrug of his shoulders, "You seem to be my only friend that isn't trying to set me up on a date."

Luke nodded and opened the door a bit wider so Simon could come in, "Ah, glad to be of help. Please come in," his voice seemed to be wavering, almost close to breaking and he could swear he was blushing. There had been a part of him that had expected Simon not to turn up. It's not like a history project was the most exciting thing someone could be doing tonight. There were at least a dozen more interesting things he could think of off the top of his head. Yet since Simon was here, all he had to worry about now was to be a good host.

Luke's apartment was hardly the sort of place Simon had been expecting to see. Considering all the people complaining that the state was wasting money on these 'School accommodation buildings', he had expected it to be a bit more impressive. To a chipmunk maybe the room was large enough, but to a human it was tiny. The building itself was little more than a glorified prefabricated block that had been split up into 'appropriately sized apartments'. If Luke's was anything to go by then the state had barely wasted any money at all.

"This is the main room," Luke said, waving his arm to indicate the room they were currently in, "It's also...eh, the only room." The last was added rather lamely. The walls of the room were bare except for a pawful of scattered posters, the carpeting was cheap and there was very little in the way of furniture at all.

A plain desk sat over by one wall with Luke's school work and a lava lamp on it, a pile of books lay by the door and an old radio/CD player resting on a small chest of drawers. There was only a single window, which sat just above the fold down bed which had a small mini-fridge beside it. There was no TV, no Kitchen, too Simon it looked like it truly was just the barest essentials to make a living space. "The toilets down the hall," Luke pointed out, "so are the showers, but...I'm not sure why you need to know that," he finished, again rather lamely.

Simon instinctively made for the desk, but still managed to give the room a quick overview, taking in what little there was as he slid his bag onto the floor. "You like it" Luke asked, as if he was fishing for approval, which he probably was. This was after all, his place, a prefabricated space he had turned into something of a home. This was his place, his sanctuary, and it was probably as big a statement about him as Simon's room was about Simon.

As he took in the scattered books and sparse furniture, Simon nodded. It was hardly breathtaking or outstanding in any way but as a bedroom he guessed it served its purpose rather well, and there was something cosy about this bare cheap room that Luke was trying to make his own. There was nothing extravagant and little in the way of distractions. Whether it was intentional or not Simon could appreciate this. In fact there was something very calming about the whole space.

Simon slowly nodded his approval as he returned to the desk where he had left his bag. As he got closer, he noticed two books lying on top of the coursework and homework. Before he could stop himself, natural curiosity had him craning his neck slightly to read the covers. Neither of them looked like textbooks yet he couldn't help being a little bit nosey. "The Bad boy and the Bookworm?" he read aloud in a curious tone "Dream Lover? 1 and 2?" he casually turned the book round to read the back "Will Alan and Steven ever get together?" it said in fancy flowing writing. He looked up at Luke, with an expression which was both questioning yet bemused at the same time. "I didn't think you were into that kind of stuff." He looked back down at the books, "Romance I mean, my friends tend to read sci-fi and little else." The last bit being said with a slight chuckle. He had hoped that may make Luke feel a bit more at ease, but it didn't.

Luke shuffled nervously, understandably uneasy about leaving those books out. He was having difficulty enough making friends without people knowing he spent his free time reading teen romances, and gay teen romance novels at that.

Simon, for his part, somewhat regretted pointing out the books. He tried to put Luke back at ease. "Are they good?" He asked, nonchalantly.

Luke seemed to perk up a bit, "Oh yeah, they're great...well, I mean...I like them."

Simon picked up one, "Mind if I borrow one?" It would have been impossible for Luke to hide his surprise at this, so Simon felt he should go on. "I'm curious, and you said you like them."

Curious? That was an understatement if ever he'd heard one. He had just hoped to alleviate his friends awkwardness, now look what he'd gotten himself into. 'Stop talking Simon', his subconscious was screaming at him.

Luke in the meantime still hadn't seemed to have shaken his initial surprise, "Yeah, sure. Feel free." He sat down on the side of the bed, seemingly in a bit of a daze.

Eager to move on, Simon sat down at the chair and pulled a notebook and pen from his bag. He carefully laid the book on the table and looked back up at Luke, "So how are we going to do this?" he asked, as if they were back in class, "The project I mean." He felt some haste to clarify that point, and yet for the life of him, he couldn't work out what else Luke could have thought he meant.

Luke remained quiet for a few seconds, then seemed to shake himself out of his daze. "What? Oh yeah.." he grabbed one of his history books and flipped it open, " I think we should probably start by getting six or seven main points that we could write a paragraph on. Then do some reading on each point."

Simon nodded "Sure, makes sense. Then we each write a few paragraphs each and stick the whole thing together."

"Sounds good to me." And with that, and both of them eager to avoid anymore awkwardness, they both lowered their heads and got down to work.

* * *

><p>The Millers house was surprisingly quiet that evening, despite having an last minute visit from Alvin. After all, quiet and Alvin were words that rarely went together in the same sentence. It seemed that Alvin, despite all his stubbornness and arrogance, had realised that things were not going well especially between him and Brittany. Emotions were still high from the lunchtime fiasco, heck they'd been high since the summer had ended, but Alvin had decided to tackle it head on, as was his usual strategy. How could it possibly go wrong.<p>

Brittany lay back on her bed, arms outstretched, whilst Alvin spun round and round on her chair with his eyes on the floor, not a word passing between them for several minutes. "I still don't see what I did wrong," Alvin said eventually, persistent as usual. "How the heck was I suppose to know Simon would blow up like that?"

Brittany let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes, "There's this thing you may have heard of, maybe just in passing. It's called subtlety."

Alvin craned his head back whilst still spinning, "What you call subtlety, I call time wasting." His usual cockyness had returned it seemed.

Brittany found herself smirking a little, though she tried to hide it, she knew he meant well in the end, even if he did go around it in the most obnoxious and frustrating way. He was a much sweeter and caring person than he would ever let on, especially when it came to looking after his brothers, and that was one of the things she loved the most about him. Plus, when he wasn't being annoying, there was something she found very attractive in his cockyness.

"There are somethings you just can't rush, and this is one of those of those things. Patience is a virtue."

Alvin was unimpressed, "Yeah, cause waiting has done soooo well so far(!)" he drew out the so as long as was possible.

Brittany chose to ignore him. When dating Alvin it always paid off if you could ignore his more annoying traits, it was a skill she'd been working on.

As Alvin kept spinning on her chair, she pushed herself up, until she was sitting up on the bed, a suddenly serious expression on her face, "Do you think we're going about this the wrong way?"

Alvin raised an eyebrow as the chair stopped spinning, "What do you mean?"

She scooted along, til they were face to face, "Simon's hurt cause of what happened with Scott, and Jeanette is..well...Jeanette. Maybe instead of trying to get them 'together' together, we just need to get them to spend more time together, so they can remember how much they like each other. They can do the rest themselves."

Alvin didn't look like he was convinced. The thought of inaction, and just leaving things to see how they work out...well it was an alien concept to him. "Come on Brit, they've had bags of time. You said so yourself, they need a bit of nudging."

She seemed to he ignoring him again when her eyes suddenly lit up. "Marcus's Party." It was all she felt needed to be said, it was so obvious. The answer had been staring them in the face all along.

Alvin's face was blank at first, then what she was suggesting finally sunk in and he grinned, almost from ear to ear, "Marcus's party." It was so simple, he was almost offended he hadn't thought of it himself.

* * *

><p>Simon and Luke had been working for what seemed to be most of the evening. They had stopped only very rarely to talk, most of the time just short exchanges about the project, never daring to deviate far from the work. Both of them seemed to be more nervous than they should have been for two friends doing homework. In fact, Luke had to stop several times so that he could wipe the sweat from his paw onto his T-shirt.<p>

Outside the sky was getting gradually darker and darker, yet neither of them seemed to notice. Both continued scribbling their notes and flicking through pages to busy to bother looking out of the window. Several hours at least had passed before Simon stopped so he could stretch out his paws and get rid of the cramp.

The work had not been particularly exciting or invigorating, yet they'd managed to get a lot done and both guessed they could afford to take a break, however short. Luke sat up on the side of the bed and had a long stretch. "I guess we should take a break. I think we've done enough work today." As he sat stretching, the edge of his shirt rose up, exposing a strip of soft chestnut fur for Simon to see. In fact it was so obvious he couldn't miss it, yet Simon still found himself looking away. There was a growing part of him that said, 'Go on, what harm can it do? He's and attractive guy. It's why you're here after all.'

"Can I get you something to drink?" Luke asked, only making the situation worse.

He rose from his seat just as Simon looked back up, glad that his fur would hide the worst of his blushing. He still found himself unable to speak though, as Luke made his way over to the little fridge and squatted down to grab a coke.

With what he hoped wasn't an obvious gulp, Simon managed to find his tongue again. "Eh no" he glanced around, eager for anything that could distract him from staring at Luke. It was only after doing this that he noticed how dark it was outside. "Wow," he said, causing Luke to glance up at the sudden break of their silence, "I hadn't realised how dark it had gotten." A quick glance at his watch proved it was much later than he had thought, "In fact I should probably be heading home."

Luke's face fell as he stood back up. "Oh," was all he managed to say.

Simon felt his heart beat a bit faster. A large part of him wanted to stay, to make Luke smile again, but the rest was worried what that would mean. "I'm sorry Luke; I'll see you at school tomorrow, though."

Luke nodded, "Yeah, I guess you will. We've still got to finish the project anyway."

Simon nodded and began to pack away his books and notes. Luke nervously tapped his fingers against the side of his can, as if searching for the right words to say. His mouth kept opening and closing, as if he was thinking of something to say, but always deciding against it at the last second.

At last Simon stood up and swung his bag over one shoulder, "Well I should get going."

Luke nodded, "I guess so, oh.." the last came as a bit of an outburst as Luke made his way back to the table. He put down the can of cola and picked up one of the books. 'Dream Lover' "Don't forget the book." he said with a small smile, "It's my favourite, so I hope you like it."

Simon nodded, "Ah, Thanks. I'll give it a read."

Luke nodded, "Cool," A long pause as both Chipmunks just stood there. "Well, let me know if you want to do this again. I...eh..don't get many visitors."

Simon nodded, "Sure...um, I'd like that. See you tomorrow." And with a curt wave goodbye, Simon made his way out of the apartment, leaving Luke to collapse back onto the bed, his cola forgotten.

* * *

><p>Dave gave the kitchen clock a hard look as Simon wandered back into the house. He had been expecting Simon to be home hours ago, and that was something he was just not use to. He would have expected this from Alvin, but not Simon, He was the son he could rely on. Simon thankfully, took the massive hint Dave was giving him, "Sorry I was working on a school project. Guess I lost track of the time." Simon re-shouldered his bag after it appeared to slip a little, "It won't happen again."<p>

"You bet it won't, This is what Mobile's are for Simon." Dave said in his typical 'concerned parent' tone. He pulled Simon's re-heated dinner from the microwave, "I'll let it slide this once, but just tell me next time. I don't like not knowing where you are."

Simon nodded, accepting the offered plate and heading for his room, "OK, Sorry."

From the main room, Alvin and Theodore watched and listened to the events in the kitchen with increasing surprise, and in Alvins's case, outrage. "OK?!" he almost exploded incredulously. "If I came home this late I'd be lucky if Dave crucified me, but Simon just wanders in like it's nothing and what does he get, OK!?."

Theodore twiddled his paws nervously "No offence Alvin but I think, he trusts Simon more than you." He paled slightly at Alvin's glare. "I mean this is the first time Simon's been late, and he was doing school work."

Alvin still seemed to be unconvinced, as he so often was. "Yeah like anyone actually spends that much time on school work."

Theodore couldn't help one of his eyebrows rising at that. Alvin seemed to have been on edge ever since he got back from Brittany' couldn't help but wonder if the two of them had been arguing again, cause it seemed to be happening more and more often. He sincerely hoped he was wrong, he couldn't cope if both his brothers went to pieces on him at the same time. "Are you ok?" he asked, tentatively.

Alvin didn't help relieve any of Theodore's fears at all. He just groaned and left for his room, shutting the door with a solid thump. Theodore sat for a few seconds in the now quiet room, all by himself. "Well that was rude."

* * *

><p>Simon was lying flat on his bed, as he seemed to be doing a lot these days. He had expected to just lie here until he fell asleep, but as with so many of his ideas it seemed like that things wouldn't go to plan.<p>

He had only been alone for a few minutes after finishing his dinner, the empty plate was still sitting on his desk, when the door opened a crack and Theodore poked his head in. "Simon?" he asked as he took a cautious step forward.

Simon remained lying down, staring up at the ceiling "Yes Theo, what is it?"

After stepping fully into the room, Theodore paused, then moved closer to the bed. "I've barely seen you today, so I just wanted to...well...say sorry," Simon turned his head, giving his brother a confused look. "I mean for what happened at lunch." Theo concluded in response to Simons confusion.

Simon gave him a comforting smile, "Thanks Theo, but it wasn't your fault. You shouldn't feel sorry."

Theodore pulled himself up and sat on the side of the bed, "I know Alvin's upset about it too. He means well, he's just a bit stupid at times and too macho too admit it."

"Alvin's a jerk," Simon said simply, taking Theodore aback a bit, "Thanks Theo, but I knew that a long time ago. I guess I'm just not as willing to tolerate it as much as I use too."

Theo sighed and hung his head, "He doesn't mean to, he just...he works differently to the rest of us."

Simon scoffed, "Thats one way of putting it." Simon dragged himself up til he was sitting, resting against the wall. "I wish everyone would just stop acting like I'm sick or something."

Theodore looked back up, "We're worried Si, You've not been yourself lately and we want to help."

Simon took of his glasses, rubbing the lenses on his t-shirt, "I know, but believe me it's not something any of you can help me with. It's something I need to work out on my own."

Theodore made as if to jump off the bed and leave, but he stopped himself. "That doesn't mean we can't talk about it. You're the one always telling me that two heads are better than one."

Simon laughed, a good hearty laugh that Theo hadn't heard in a while, " I guess I did say that." He lent back, looking back up at the ceiling. "It's just so difficult to explain."

He bit his bottom lip as he wondered what to say next. He was struggling to put what was going through his head into words. It wasn't easy trying to explain something that you didn't really understand yourself. After a short silence he opened his mouth to speak, but even then he paused for a second or two.

"Do you remember that day when we first met the Chipettes?" he asked, to which Theodore nodded, "Remember how you felt, the first time you saw Eleanor?"

Theodore nodded again, "Yeah, I felt all warm and glowy on the inside."

Simon looked back down towards Theodore, "Do you still feel that way, when you're with her I mean?"

Theodore nodded, with a bright smile on his face, "Yeah, every day."

Simon, whilst happy for his brother, couldn't smile. "I don't," he said simply. "When I first saw Jeanette, I felt that way but now..." he pushed a paw through his hair, "It's just gone Theo."

Theo's smile gradually faded as Simon spoke. "Is it because of Scott?" he asked.

Simon shook his head, taking his brother by surprise. "No, this happened a while before that. I could feel it slipping away for a while. When I saw how happy you and Eleanor were, or looked at Alvin and Brittany...I don't know," it was his turn to run his paws nervously through his hair, "I guess I though if we started going out, the feelings would come back."

Theodore just sat silently few a few seconds, "You shouldn't go out with someone because you feel obligated to." He looked down to his toes, "I know she still feels strongly about you, but if you don't feel the same way" he paused again, "you should probably just say."

Simon bit his lip. He knew that Theodore was right, he had known that for a while but knowing something didn't necessarily make it easier. Plus there was also the small issue that he hadn't mentioned yet. "There is something else.." he said tentatively, his voice slightly hoarse.

Theo looked back up, with a concerned look. He had assumed that the business with Jeanette was the only thing that had gotten Simon down, to hear that there something else made him anxious, "Something else?"

Simon paused, "That feeling, the glowy one we mentioned. I have had it recently, just not for Jeanette."

At that Theodore immediately perked up, he had been expecting the worst, but to hear that made him feel better, "Well that's great." He beamed at his brother, unsure why Simon seemed so anxious about it.

Simon cracked a smile, "I guess, I just don't know if they feel the same way."

Whilst Theodore didn't want to pry into something that he knew was entirely his brothers business, given how upset Simon had been, he felt some sort of obligation to try be supportive. "Do you mind if I ask who it is?" he asked cautiously, quickly adding "You don't have to say if you don't want to."

Simon swung his paws over the edge of the bed, so he was actually sitting beside his brother, "It's ok Theo, it's...well it's," he paused yet again, "It's the new kid."

Theo was quiet for a second, "The new kid? You mean...Luke?" he couldn't help but sound a little surprised.

Simon nodded slowly whilst waiting painfully for Theodore's response.

Theodore was quiet for a few seconds then he placed a comforting paw on Simon's shoulder, "I've only spoken to him once or twice, but he seems like a great guy."

Simon looked up, "You're not shocked?"

Theodore's lip twitched a little, "Well I'm a bit surprised, but it's your life. I want you to be happy Simon and if Luke does that, then I'm glad you met him."

Simon placed a paw thankfully on his brothers. His mouth turning into a smile and his eyes glowing with their old shine again. No matter what happened with anyone else or what he was going through, he knew he could always rely on Theodore. "Thanks Theo, that means a lot to me." He removed his paw and turned his head, "Just don't mention this to anyone yet, especially Alvin. Please."

Theodore bit his lip, but nodded understandingly, "Of course. I won't tell a soul if you don't want me too."

Simon nodded, and as he went to bed that night, suddenly life didn't seem so bad.


	9. Chapter 9: Heat of the Moment

**Wow, I may actually finish this story yet :P Hope you guys like the new chapter.**

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><p>Brittany began the day at school as she did every other school day, fixing her hair in the mirror she kept in her locker. It had become something of a ritual to her.<p>

"Did you invite Simon to the party?" she asked whilst continuing with her work.

Alvin was leaning against the next locker, his arms folded and his face was more grouchy than Brittany had ever seen. Something or someone had definitely rubbed him up the wrong way, and Alvin wasn't the kind of person to let it go lightly. "Didn't get the chance," he said with a mixture of annoyance and bitterness. "He was out all night working with the new kid, some school project."

Brittany froze for a second, "The new kid? You mean the little quiet guy?"

"Yeah," Alvin nodded, "I mean, I thought Simon was the only one who took homework that seriously." He spread one paw out in a sign of frustration, "So he comes in, really late, without calling or anything and what does Dave say, 'ok', OK(!)" He shook his head, "It's so unfair."

Brittany hadn't been listening, she had been to distracted by the news to care about Alvin's complaints. It was hardly like ignoring Alvin was anything new to her, she'd actually grown use to it. This time she just found herself unable to take her eyes from the small pile of books in her locker, or rather the small paperback on top of the pile.

When he got no response from his girlfriend, Alvin twisted round slightly to see if she'd been paying attention. Surprise surprise, she hadn't. He sighed, one minute she was chewing him out cause they hadn't talked over the holidays, and now she was ignoring him. It seemed like there were some days when he just couldn't win. "I'll see you later then," he said, with a tinge of annoyance, as he picked up his bag and headed for class.

She didn't even acknowledge him as he left, she was too transfixed on the books. Maybe she was letting her imagination get the better of her, maybe she was just overreacting, but she had a very bad feeling about this.

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><p>Luke pulled the small pile of books from his locker. He had feeling today was going to be a bad day. There was no real reasoning behind it, just one of those gut feelings with a dash of pessimism.<p>

He stuffed the books under one arm, reaching out the other to close the locker. He nearly jumped a little as the door swung shut to reveal Brittany, smiling disarmingly at him. She was holding a small pile of books to her chest, and despite the smile on her face, her eyes were telling a different story.

"Hi, it's Luke isn't it?" Her voice was too warm, the kind of friendly which felt creepy.

He was unsure why she was acting this way, unsure what he'd done, in fact he was unsure if he should even answer her or not. He managed a very nervous smile back, "uh..yes, thats right."

"We bumped into each other earlier," She laughed a little, "Quite literally actually." She pulled a small book out from her pile and handed it over. "When you were rushing off to class, you forgot this."

He instantly recognised it, and made his blood run cold. It was a small paperback 'Nothing like this', another one of his romance books that he'd been hoping to keep a secret. He reached out and took the book, biting his lip and wishing that the world would just swallow him up there and then. "Oh, eh, thanks."

Brittany's smile became even more unnerving, "No problem, I'm happy to help. You might want to be more careful in the future. People might start to talk."

He looked up at that, "What do you mean?"

She continued very casually, as if they were just talking about the weather or something, "Well, I've heard there are a few rumours going round about you. Judging by that," she gestured at the book, "I'm guessing they're true."

His mouth twitched and his eyes fell at that, but she continued. "If they are or aren't it doesn't matter to me. You seem like a nice enough guy and really it's none of my business who you like." Her eyes suddenly hardened, "Simon, however is going out with my sister, so if you try anything with him, or do anything to upset or hurt Jeanette," she paused just so he could understand how serious she was, "I WILL destroy you." Luke almost found himself taking a step back. "Stay away from him, and everything will be just fine." She flashed him another disarming smile, "See you later."

And with that she wandered off, leaving Luke lost for words and trembling slightly.

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><p>Simon glanced around the overly crowded house. It was one of those parties that Simon had thought only happened on TV. The kind were beer was seemingly flowing everywhere, music was playing so loud you could barely think and there were so many people he wondered just how they had managed to break the laws of science and all fit into such a small house. "So whose party is this again?" he asked Alvin, who was smiling like a kid in a sweet shop. Theodore meanwhile had, uncharacteristically, already disappeared inside, apparently going to look for someone.<p>

"Marcus Adams," Alvin responded, with the same stupid grin on his face, as if the name was suppose to mean something to Simon.

Simon raised an eyebrow, "And just who the heck is Marcus Adams?"

Alvin just shrugged "I donnu, one of Ryan's friends I think, but that's not important. What matters is that anyone whose anyone is here tonight."

Simon rolled his eyes. It seemed that Alvin never changed, he was still just as concerned as ever with how he appeared and what people thought of him. One thing he could be sure of, if the person running this party was one of Ryan's friends he was more than likely no friend of Simons. Of course that went without saying, Simon doubted if any of his friends had even been invited, let alone ever want to host a party like this.

"So why have I been dragged along?" he asked, trying to remember just how Alvin had actually talked him into this in the first place. Parties like this may have been catnip to alvin, but they were a waste of time as far as Simon was concerned. Why spend time listening to music he didn't like and people he liked less?

Alvin however wouldn't have it, "Because you seriously need some fun Si, unwind a little." It was a typical Alvin response. He didn't feel like having fun tonight, and even if he did, he sorely doubted he would be looking for it here.

In fact he hadn't intended on doing anything at all that night. Things were still too weird for him, and he didn't feel like partying in any way, certainly not like this.

His mind was still a confusing jumble, he still couldn't think straight or get any answers to the dozens of questions buzzing about in his mind. He was still running the events of last night over again and again in his head, analysing every decision, everything he had done. He very much doubted there was anything or anyone at this party who could help him with that.

One thing he would admit was that the party seemed like as good a place as any to go to if you wanted to take your mind off things. The music was so loud he could barely think about anything. The music and chatter of so many people crammed into such a small space served to not only overwhelm, but practically obliterate every sense he had. It even took him all of his concentration and focus to hear what Alvin was saying and he was standing right next to him. Whats more he usually had to use all his focus and concentration to ignore Alvin, the the whole thing was unusual to him.

On reflection he should have put some more of that effort into ignoring Alvin when he had suggested coming here, yet if there was one thing Simon had learned about his brother over the years, it was that once Alvin had made up his mind about something, there was no power in the galaxy that could make him change it. Stubborn as a mule didn't even come close to describing Alvin.

He had primarily sold this evening as a means to make up with Jeanette after what had happened at the lunch the other day, and to give them an opportunity to talk in a more relaxed environment. Needless to say Simon disagreed with that opinion, especially at this being a more relaxed environment. It might be for Alvin, but it certainly wouldn't be for him and Jeanette. Yes he regretted storming off luke he had and yes he may have chosen some of his words poorly, but there must have been a million better places to say sorry to Jeanette than here. If nothing else it would be a miracle if she could hear him here.

Simon slowly managed to cut his way through the party crowd and found himself hovering by one of the many tables covered with plastic cups and bowls of snacks. The contents of the bowls seemed to be causing a great deal of mess on the table, and he noticed that most of the cups were empty and should probably have been binned. He considered pointing it out, but where was he going to find a bin in this madness. Besides wasn't cleaning up the next morning all part of the party ritual.

Looking up from the table, he noticed that the crowd seemed to have parted, like the red sea, and he could see Jeanette, flanked by her two sisters.

She looked very pretty tonight. Her hair was tied back as it usually was and she was wearing a short pleated skirt and her favourite jacket. In fact it was almost like seeing her for the first time again.

She raised one paw as she noticed him, and offered a friendly wave, with a small but warm smile. Simon slowly raised his paw and waved back in response. Damn it, why had he listened to Alvin? He didn't want to be here.

Alvin, who seemed to have reappeared out of nowhere, gave his brother a friendly nudge, "Go on Simon make a move, she wants you." His grin grew so wide Simon began to wonder if Alvin's small head could hold it all. "Just, tell her she completes you," he winked at this last bit, as if it was the greatest piece of advice he'd ever given rather than the corny pick up line that it was.

Simon's response was simply a dirty look "Could you keep out of my personnel life for just one evening?"

Alvin grinned, evidently not in the mood to argue, "Sorry, doesn't compute bro," he placed an arm around Simon's shoulder "It's my raison d'être."

"I'm impressed," Simon rose one eyebrow, as he always did before making a cutting remark, "That was actual French and not gibberish with a rubbish French accent."

"I guess I am improving aren't I." Alvin chuckled, "Come on Si, loosen up a little. Tonight's all about having fun, remember."

"Oh sure, I've been dragged to a party against my will, where I don't know anyone and you expect me to have fun."

Alvin smirked and took a drink from the plastic cup in his paw, "Absolutely." He lowered the cup and, to Simon's surprise, seemed to suddenly become serious. "Look Si, you've been really wound up recently so I thought tonight could let you unwind. Chill out and have some fun." He gestured to where Jeanette had been standing, "If you feel up to it you can say hi, maybe ask her to dance."

Simon smiled a bit at his brother, "Dancing, me...really."

Alvin scoffed, "Come on, I've seen you dance plenty of times."

Simon laughed in response, "Choreography at concerts doesn't count."

Leaning back a bit, Alvin shrugged, "Sure," He let the word hang in the air for a while, just to prove to Simon that he wasn't in the slightest bit convinced, before he took another sip from his cup. "By the way, where were you the other night?"

"I was doing some homework," It wasn't a lie but it wasn't exactly the whole truth either. It was still a topic he'd prefer to avoid so he tried his best to brush it off. "It's really helpful, you should try it someday."

"Very funny Simon," There wasn't much humour in Alvin's voice though, in fact he sounded positively serious. "It was with the new guy right?"

"As a matter of fact," Simon wasn't sure he liked where this was going. Just what was Alvin trying to say? And why couldn't he just leave him alone? "It was."

Alvin folded his arms "Fine, jeez. I'm just saying you should be careful."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"Really Si, You mean you haven't heard about that guy yet. Are you seriously telling me that you hadn't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?" Simon genuinely had no idea what Alvin was talking about, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"He's gay." Alvin said, as if that was enough to explain everything.

Simon raised an eyebrow "That's it," he looked in stunned surprise for what seemed like ages, his body unmoving "That's all it is. He's gay, that's your big revelation." He rubbed at his eyes in despair, "I'm sorry, are you in the dark ages or something?" He looked up defiantly at Alvin, "He's gay, so what? It is possible to have gay friends."

Alvin, stubborn as a mule as always, refused to back down, "Well he seems to be always acting reeeaaallll friendly towards you."

"So," Simon snapped back, "He's a nice person, but then again you wouldn't know anything about that would you."

Alvin's face tightened in anger "What the hell Si, I'm trying to look out for you here and this is the thanks I get."

"No you're not," Simon bit back, "You're just being a jerk." The anger seemed to be pouring out of him now. "And you know what Alvin, me and my friends don't concern you So why don't you just stay out of my business." He turned and stormed off before Alvin could get another word out.

"Simon wait," Alvin called after him, but he had already disappeared into the crowd. "Shit" he muttered.

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><p>Simon was hardly halfway to the way out when he bumped into the very last person he expected to see at the party, and given his argument with Alvin either the best or the worst possible person to show up.<p>

"Hey, umm, mind if I join you?"

Simon could hardly mask his surprise as Luke was suddenly standing in front of him, looking more surprised than Simon. "Hey," His bad mood and argument becoming momentarily forgotten, as he wondered what the odds of this actually happening where, "I wasn't expecting to see you here?"

Luke nodded with his head sunk into his shoulders a bit, his paws stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, "I'm surprised too. I got invited and...well it seemed better than just staying at home."

Simon's lip twitched, "Oh I'm not sure about that." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "I was dragged here by Alvin, whose being a class A jerk. A quiet night in sounds like a much better idea to me."

Luke shrugged, tentatively glancing round the party as if he was still trying to work out what was going on. Simon sensed another wave of silence falling between them, or at least not talking as there was no chance of getting silence at this party. He was tempted to ask about what Alvin had told him, was it true, was it possible? He couldn't though. Logically it made sense, yet there was something that was stopping him from asking.

"I started reading your book buy the way," Simon continued, although he doubted Luke could actually hear him. The music, if anything seemed to be getting louder, or maybe they were just closer to the speakers. In any case he just wanted something to talk about.

Sure enough, Luke lent forward slightly, cupping an ear in Simon's direction. "What?" he said, his voice louder than even he thought possible and yet still drowned by the music.

Simon leaned even closer, "Maybe we should find somewhere quieter. I don't know bout you but I'm getting a headache here."

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><p>Jeanette had arrived late to the party, yet that didn't feel bad. Like Simon the party was hardly her kind of place, and only the impassioned words of her sister Brittany had persuaded her to come. That and the chance to patch things over with Simon, although she was still unsure if this was the best place to try that. Perhaps it would be best to wait till they were somewhere that they were both comfortable. Her gut instinct was telling her to wait, but the rest of her wanted to mend things as soon as possible, and if that meant coming to a party where she barely knew anyone, then so be it.<p>

As they had arrived at the party she had actually seen Simon standing with his brother by the drinks table. She had been tempted to go over to him right there and then but her restraint had won that round. Brittany had told her to be casual, that was the best thing, to act normal. To try and start again, rebuild her relationship with Simon from the ground up rather than rush over all the cracks. This time she wasn't going to rush anything, or let fear get the better of her, this time she'd do it right.

It didn't take long though before Brittany had herself disappeared in search of Alvin. Jeanette hadn't wanted to get in the way of that so she decided to let them be, after all, Alvin and Brittany hadn't exactly been on the best of terms since school had started back. She hadn't said as much, but Jeanette could tell, her sister wasn't that hard to read, and it seemed like the two of them were usually fighting in one way or another. This time seemed a bit different though, even if she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

In the meantime, she had managed by some stroke of sheer luck to find two drinks that she could confidently say were not alcoholic. She now made her way, balancing a cup in each paw, through the throng of party people who were talking, jostling and generally making her task more difficult. She was having a hard time wondering just who all these people where and how it was possible to fit them all into such a small house. How was anyone supposed to be able to find anyone in this chaos?

Her sense of navigation must have been thrown off completely by the crowd as she could no longer see Simon anywhere. She had managed to find the table that he had been at when she'd spotted him earlier, yet now he seemed to have gone. Finding a needle in a haystack was childs play compared to finding a chipmunk at a bustling party. He couldn't have gone far in this, so holding the cups a little tighter she set off again into the crowd.

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><p>Simon stepped into one of the more quiet side rooms, where he could finally hear himself talk and think again. Luke was only a few steps behind, half closing the door behind him, partly out of habit and partly to keep the noise out. He wanted to ask what Simon had said back in the main room, but something seemed to stop him at the last second.<p>

Simon on the other hand found himself becoming more and more nervous, it was even worse than last night. He should never have come to this damn party. He couldn't get what Alvin had said out of his head. Had he been telling the truth? "I was trying to say, I started reading your book." he managed, eventually.

Luke bit his lip, "What did you think?"

Simon still wasn't looking at him, "Um, It's good. Well written, good characters. It's good."

"Simon," Luke suddenly found his voice, even if it was still a bit awkward, "Is everything all right?"

Simon turned a little, and Luke could see the pained expression on his face. "No," he said after a long pause, "It's not." Luke swallowed a bit, unsure what to do next. "Everything seems to be so strange and complicated these days."

"If you don't want to talk about it.."

Simon shook his head, "No, I've spent too long not talking about it, trying to work it out on my own." He let out a deep breath, aware of the pained but also slightly confused look on the other chipmunks face. "Remember when we met in History class, how I said I recognised you. I saw you at a DVD store a few weeks ago."

Luke nodded "Yeah I know," He said softly, "I recognised you too."

Simon continued, it was as if someone had popped a cork inside of him and all his bottled up emotions were now pouring out. "It was weeks ago, but I could still see you perfectly, recognise you in an instant." Luke was silent as Simon turned to face him, "When I saw you I got this warm feeling inside that I've never felt with anyone else, except Jeanette."

Luke remained silent, his bottom lip twitching slightly. He looked up into Simon's eyes, it was almost as if he became a whole new person in that brief moment. He took a few steps forward until the two were only inches apart. Simon could feel the shorter munks breath on his neck fur, each exhale sending electric sparks down his spine. Acting almost solely on instinct, Luke found himself placing a paw under Simons chin, carefully pulling his head down. At the same moment Luke raised himself up onto his toes and gently pressed his lips against Simons.

It only lasted a split second before Luke lowered himself back down, his eyes suddenly showing fear. He half expected Simon to push him away, or storm out of the room, something, anything.

And yet nothing happened. The world had not ended, yet both munks seemed to be standing in mutual surprise at what had just happened.

Simon found his mind to be blank. Just when he needed them most, his thoughts and questions had deserted him leaving only instinct. He placed a soft paw on the nape of Luke's neck, leant down and kissed him back. There was no logic here, no science. He had been caught up in the heat of the moment and his passion was taking the front seat. His free paw worked its way down to Lukes and clasped around it, their fingers interlocking as the kiss seemed to go on and on, neither of them wanting it to end.

From the half open door, Jeanette stood and watched in silence, both cups falling from her suddenly numb paws. Biting her lip, she turned away from the scene and hurried out of the house and away from the party.

As quickly as the kiss had started, Luke suddenly pulled away, a look of fear and regret across his face, "I'm sorry." For the first time that Simon had heard Luke voice was firm and decisive "I shouldn't have done that. I mean you're... I'm sorry Simon."

Luke rushed out of the room, leaving Simon standing in a dazed state. He wasn't sure what to do, heck he didn't even know what had just happened.

Whatever it was, it was the best he'd felt in a long long time.

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><p><strong>Ooohhh. Next chapter is nearly done, just needs a bit of tweaking so should be done soon-ish. Reviews always help *hint-hint*<strong>


	10. Chapter 10: If you're all Alone

**Whooh, even less time than I thought. A bit of a short chapter but it looks like the last two may take a bit of time so I figured I'd treat you all to a double bill. Hope you guys enjoy, and please leave a review to let me know what you think :)**

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><p>Scott lent back in his chair and swivelled round and round, keeping his head craned back and his eyes on the ceiling as he revolved. After a few rotations he set a footpaw on the floor, managing to stop the chair, and looked again at the blank word document on the screen. A loud sigh escaped from his mouth as he wondered what everyone else was doing tonight, what the people with social lives were getting up to. He flexed his fingers over the keyboard. 'Alright Scott' He told himself, 'time to focus and get some work done' His fingers began typing, the words 'English Essay: Something I care about' appearing the screen. Now what next?<p>

He quickly slouched back in his chair. There was nothing, his mind was blank. He gave a cursory glance over his desk, cluttered with model starships and spaceships in various stages of completion. Was there anything there he could write about? Not really. What was there that he truly cared about? He didn't even understand the point of this. It was hardly going to come up in an exam. Wouldn't his time be better spent reading 'The Merchant of Venice' or something.

When his mobile rang, he almost jumped out of his skin, nobody had ever phoned him before, or at least not at this time. Heck only two or three people actually had his mobile number. As his composure returned he picked the mobile up of his desk and flipped it open.

"Jeanette?" He asked curiously. Caller ID wasn't as useful for him as for other people, but it gave him an extra few seconds to wonder why she was calling. He tapped to receive the call and rose the phone to his ear. "Jeanette?" he repeated.

"Scott," Jeanette responded, with a sniff. She sounded different, and not in a good way. Something was clearly wrong, and if she'd come to him for help, then things must be desperate.

"What's happened?" Scott sat up straight, his essay completely forgotten, "have you been crying?"

Another sniff, "Can you come over? I..._sniff... _I need to see you."

Nodding vigorously Scott reached for his coat, "Sure, where are you?"

"I'm at the park."

He held the phone between his head and shoulder as he pulled his hoodie on, "Ok, I'll be there in about 5 mins."

He reached over the desk to shut down the computer, It seemed he may never get that essay done.

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><p>By the time Scott got to the park it was beginning to get dark. The park was empty, and ever so slightly creepy. The street lights only offered dim partial lighting in the park itself, and very little past the metal fence and thick bushes.<p>

It didn't take him long to find Jeanette though. She was sitting, hunched on one of the benches, he head lowered. Every so often she would let out a short sniff.

"Jeanette?" he asked, for the third time that night.

She looked up, quickly rubbing at her eyes, but she couldn't hide the fact that she'd been crying no matter how hard she tried. Her red eyes and matted cheek fur was an obvious giveaway. She got up from the bench in a flash and hugged him tightly.

Scott found himself standing, arms wide as Jeanette held onto him. Just what was going on tonight? He could feel her chest going up and down rapidly and knew she was crying again. She wasn't just crying, she was sobbing. Tears rolling down her cheeks and onto his shoulder.

This was all new to him, what should he do? He closed his arms round her, hoping to reassure her. "It's ok, it's ok." He found himself repeating it over and over again. It didn't seem to work, she continued to sob, each one cutting in to him like a knife. Who could do this to her? She was the most wonderful person he knew, to see her crying like this...it was physically painful for him.

Steadily her sobbing began to subside a bit and she slumped down onto the bench. Scott quickly followed suit, still keeping one of her paws wrapped in his. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked as delicately as he could.

She was still letting out the occasional sniff, but she managed to look back up at him, "Well Brittany had asked me to go to this party," she began.

Scott was not surprised in the least that there was another party that he hadn't been invited too, in truth he had gotten use to it.

"She said if I went it would be a good chance to talk to Simon," she wiped at her eyes, her voice sounding a bit more stable, "You know, clear the air."

He nodded understandingly, even if that did annoy him a bit. He had heard about what had happened in the lunch hall but could not understand it. Sure things weren't perfect but just how Simon could pass up Jeanette like that he could never understand.

"When I got there I thought I'd get some drinks and...you know, just talk to him. But when I found him," she sniffed again and wiped at her eyes. Her voice was breaking again.

"What?" Scott asked, as gently as he could, "What is it Jeanette?"

Her face suddenly hardened, and for the first time Scott saw Jeanette looking angry, "He was making out with someone," Scott swallowed slightly but she continued. "A boy," she almost spat the last word out such was the bitterness in her voice.

"I see," Scott offered simply, almost in a daze. His tone was calm, but he couldn't deny being a little surprised and actually a bit hurt himself. Had the whole world gone crazy tonight, or had he just fallen asleep at the computer again. He was out of the picture for five minutes...

The hurt was palpable in him though. He had thrown away his own relationship, his only real chance at a relationship because he wanted his two best friends to be happy, because he believed they wanted to be together, and now Simon was throwing it all in his face.

It was not in his nature to get angry though. He was not just about to treat Simon the way Simon had treated him when he had been dating Jeanette. Simon was his best friend and he deserved the benefit of the doubt, even if he did want to punch him right now.

Jeanette's paws tightened with anger. "I can't believe he'd do this to me," she suddenly rose from the bench, her paws clenching and unclenching as she paced back and forth. She stopped suddenly, staring off into the eerie park, "I hate him."

Scott was becoming even more concerned, this was not the Jeanette he knew, not the Jeanette he had dated. Despite what may be running through his head, on the outside he remained surprisingly calm. It was a skill he had picked up over the years, something that had come in handy and sometimes hadn't. Indeed, he didn't even appear concerned to the outward observer. "No you don't," he said simply with a shake of his head.

She glared at him "Oh yes I do. I mean all this time I thought he loved me and…" anything else was choked off by a sob.

"He's Gay," Scott offered. As she nodded, he continued, "That doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. Sure it changes things, heck it's a shock to me, but he's still the same person." He rose from the bench and placed a paw on her shoulder, "He's been through a lot. Maybe he's just working things out, who knows But I know him well enough to tell you this." She turned round and looked into his soft comforting eyes, "Gay, bi, straight, whatever, he really cares about you, and I could never believe that he would ever intentionally hurt you."

She tried to smile, but the result was so weak it was barely even noticeable. He held her gaze though. "Please just talk to him. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all this."

"I…" she started looking down at the floor, "I can't. Not right now."

Scott pulled her into a hug, "Promise me you will talk to him though."

As she returned the hug, she managed a smile, "I promise."

He grinned and released her from the hug, "Come on, I'll walk you home." He offered her a paw which she gratefully accepted.

"Thanks Scott," she said as she stood up, "You're a good friend." And those few words made him light up inside more than anything she'd said when they were dating. This time it was real and heartfelt, so much so that he couldn't help but hug her, one last time.

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><p>Brittany stormed up to Simon and slapped him as hard as she could across his face. "You son of a bitch."<p>

Simon recoiled from the attack and rubbed at his cheek, "What the hell?"

"You know fine well what." Everyone in the school corridor had stopped what they were doing and turned to watch with interest. Here was some real life High School Drama, and no student would want to miss this. "All this time you were playing the victim to Jeanette," Brittany continued, "telling her what a hard time you were having, whilst you were cheating on her."

There was an intake of breath from some of the gathered students, whilst others began murmuring amongst themselves. New kids who had been drawn to the crowd and were now stuck at the back were struggling to find out what was going on.

"What are you talking about?" Simon's face showed genuine shock and surprise "I haven't cheated on anyone."

"Stop acting like you don't know. I saw you last night and so did Jeanette"

Simon paled, the stinging cheek quickly forgotten, and, for the first time since he could remember, he could not think of anything to say. Luckily, Alvin came to his rescue.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"This doesn't concern you Alvin," Brittany snapped.

"Like hell it doesn't," Alvin retorted, "You smack my brother and then accuse him of cheating on your sister and you say it doesn't concern me."

"Alvin," Simon tried to speak up, but was quickly shouted down. He had never fought with Brittany before. With Alvin at least he knew what to expect, but Brittany was just terrifying.

"I'll handle this Si" Alvin glared at Brittany. They'd had their fights and disagreements before, but this was way over the line. Without thinking, he was far too angry to think, he kept on shouting, "Just what the hell is your problem?" he almost shouted.

Brittany gave a short laugh as if the answer was obvious, "My problem is my sister running out of a party with tears in her eyes cause of your brother. My problem is that Simon ruined her life."

Simon visibly flinched at that, he had no idea. He shouldn't have expected any less once he'd heard that she'd seen them, but to hear that he had hurt Jeanette so bad that she was crying, it cut him deeply.

Things were about to get worse though, Luke had noticed the crowd gathering and had heard some commotion. Curious, he had made for the crowd and as he heard Brittany shouting he suddenly felt sick. This was all his fault. One stupid mistake and he had ruined everything again. Why couldn't he just learn to leave well enough alone?

The as swiftly it had gathered the crowd began to disperse with the appearance of Professor Cutter. "What's going on here?" The sandy haired history teacher asked. The shouting and assembled crowd had quickly drawn his attention, and whatever was going on he was determined to put a stop to it.

Nobody wanted to get on Cutters bad side, everyone scurrying off to their classes. Luke had hurried away in shame, part of him wanting to try and talk to Simon, but mostly he just wanted to get away. He'd only make things worse.

In no time at all only Brittany and Alvin were left staring daggers at each other, whilst Simon stood in a daze. "Nothing's happening here sir." The words came out of Alvins mouth almost like a snarl.

Cutter's straight-faced expression showed only a hint of the anger he was feeling "Then I suggest you head to class," he snapped "All of you."

Brittany gave Alvin a glare that screamed, 'This isn't over' and headed off to class, with everyone in the corridor swiftly moving out of her way. No one was feeling that lucky today.

Alvin, meanwhile, grabbed Simon by the shoulder and marched him off. "We need to talk," was all he said in a deep, uncompromising tone.

* * *

><p>Alvin virtually dragged Simon down the corridor and into the boy's toilet. He slammed the door closed behind him, performing a quick check to make sure no one else was, before he turned to Simon. "All right, Just what the hell is going on?"<p>

Simon rubbed his face and turned away from Alvin in despair, "You wouldn't understand?"

Alvin's voice, laced with sarcasm, was dangerously close to anger, "Oh yeah, cause I was always the stupid one wasn't I. How could I possibly understand anything?"

"It's…" Simon could not bring himself to look at his brother, "complicated."

"Try me," Alvin said arms folded.

Simon sighed and rubbed at his eyes, "It's about the party last night."

"What about it?"

"When I tried to leave...there was an incident," Simon said trying to dance round the subject.

"Damn it Si. Just tell me what it is?"

"I kissed a guy."

Alvin just stared at him. "You what?"

Simon could feel himself sweating "Well actually it was more that he kissed me, but I didn't really stop him, and then...I kissed him back."

Alvin walked over to the sink staring down at the plughole as if it would help him think or maybe just sink into it. This whole situation was just so… Unreal. It was like the things you read about, or saw on TV but you never actually believed they could happen to you "It's the new guy, isn't it." It wasn't much of a question in his harsh tone, "I told you this would happen."

"What? No" the surprise in Simons voice was enough to convince Alvin he was telling the truth, "It's nothing like that. He didn't seduce me Alvin, I wanted it." Suddenly Simon's voice changed. "I've never been more sure in my life." He moved closer, "Ever since I met him I've had this feeling. Like when I meet Jeanette for the first time, but much stronger. It's been driving me crazy for ages and I was just to scared to do anything about it." Simon suddenly stopped, his expression hardening slightly, "You're not surprised by all this."

He scoffed, "It wasn't exactly hard to work out." His paw tightened a bit "Despite what you think of me I am capable of putting two and two together"

"Yeah, and you always seem to get five" Simon retorted angrily. "How long?" He asked bitterly.

Alvin bit his lip, "Since the first day back." he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It was pretty obvious from the way you reacted to him in History class. Then you guys started hanging out... I thought I was jumping to conclusions, but somehow I just knew."

Simon could hardly believe it, Alvin had known longer than he had. Revelation suddenly flooded him, as if someone had turned on a tap and refused to shut it off, "That's why you were so desperate to get me and Jeanette together, isn't is."

"I wanted to help."

"Bull-shit," Simon spat, "You didn't really care about me and Jeanette; you just didn't want me to be gay. You didn't want your street cred to go down."

"That's not true," Alvin shouted, his voice seemed to be wavering slightly. "Do you know what Ryan would do to you if he found out you were gay? Or anyone else in the school for that matter. You'd be an outcast, no one would even look at you," he clenched his paws in frustration. "I was trying to look out for my brother," he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Do you realise how many times I've turned on the TV and seen the headline 'Bullied Gay teen commits suicide.' Do you realise how people would treat you if they even suspected that you were gay? Maybe in that head of yours everybody's perfect and who you fall in love with doesn't matter, but here on planet earth it matters a hell of a lot to a lot of people, and when those people find out that you're different they won't stop until they've destroyed you." His gaze was hardening despite the tears forming in his eyes, "It's horrible and wrong, but it happens, and I didn't want you to have to go through that Simon. I thought if I could just get you through High School then you'd be ok. I just wanted you to be happy."

"You think I care what anyone else thinks of me? You think I simply fall in love with whoever happens to be most convenient."

Alvin didn't answer, couldn't answer. He had thought he was doing the right thing

"You know what…" Simon could hardly keep the contempt from his voice, "I really thought you'd changed but you haven't. You're so obsessed with what other people think, that you're trying to change everyone around you. Not everything is about being popular Alvin, It's time you learnt that," and with that he stormed out of the restroom leaving Alvin alone.


End file.
